Christmas Presents
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: My Advent's Calendar story 2014. Christmas Eve and Christmas in Harry's fifth Hogwarts years from multiple persons' POV. Completely AU, partly OOC. 25 daily, tiny chapters just for fun.
1. Chapter 1

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

**_This is my Advent's Calendar 2014 story with 25 small chapters and daily updates!_**

* * *

><p><strong>1 December - Harry Potter<strong>

Harry Potter, a fifth-year Gryffindor, woke up early in the morning of Christmas Eve, having to console his only roommate who had stayed over the holidays from a nightmare.

_'It's still early,'_ he thought, when Neville had calmed down and drifted back to sleep, _'and the grounds look beautiful. It's as if they were wearing white dress robes just for Christmas.'_ He decided to go flying, however, not on his broom but in his phoenix animagus form. It was only recently that he had managed the complete transformation, and apart from a few short trips around the Gryffindor common room, he had not gone for a proper flight yet. _'This is just the right time,'_ he decided and descended to the common room, where he opened a window, before he transformed into his phoenix form.

He enjoyed himself greatly flying over the grounds and over the castle and even made himself comfortable on various windowsills, peering into the rooms. The thought _'People will wonder where a blue water phoenix suddenly comes from'_ did not cross his mind, as he observed Madam Pomfrey wrap Christmas presents with a flick of her wand or Professor Umbridge clean her cat plates without magic.

_'These Christmas holidays are going to be the best holidays ever,'_ he thought, _'with Hermione, Neville and the twins staying at Hogwarts.'_

All of a sudden, he remembered, "I need to be back inside on time for breakfast." He inwardly groaned upon realising that he was still wearing his pyjamas in his human form. _'Stupid,'_ he thought. _'If I'd dressed before transforming, I could have just flown to the entrance doors and change back. Now I can just hope that the window in the common room is still open.'_

From far away, he could already see that the window was closed, as was to be expected. Inwardly groaning, he nevertheless made his way to the windowsill in front of the Gryffindor common room, where he noticed in relief that Hermione was waiting for him and immediately opened the window upon seeing the blue bird approach.

"Good morning, Harry," she said, smiling. "Did you have a nice flight?"

Harry let out a few excited trills, only recalling that she could not understand his trills, when she rolled her eyes in apparent annoyance. "It was brilliant," he replied, as soon as he was back in his human form.

"Well, get dressed quickly," the girl advised him. "We're already late for breakfast."

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

They were indeed late. Everyone else had already finished eating, when the two Gryffindor students stormed into the Great Hall.

"Ahh, we were wondering where you were," Dumbledore said, pleasantly, as he motioned them over to the empty seats on his right side. "I hope that everything is all right on this fine winter morning."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry, it was my fault," Harry mumbled, wishing himself into a mouse hole, as he felt everyone look at them in disdain.

To his relief, neither Professor McGonagall nor the Slytherin head commented on the matter, and Harry quickly engrossed himself in his breakfast, feeling famished after his early morning flight. He barely noticed that everyone else took their leave, while Hermione and he were still enjoying their meal. Only Professor McGonagall remained in her seat, seeming strangely absentminded.

"Professor," Hermione suddenly addressed their head of house. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, apart from the fact that I don't have a clue what to give Professor Snape for Christmas," the Scottish lioness spoke up, seemingly more to herself than to the students.

"Ah that's easy, Professor," Harry replied, smirking, and promised, "I'll get you some phoenix tears that you can give to Professor Snape."

Apparently too engrossed in her last-minute present hunt, his head of house agreed without even questioning him how he would manage to get such a valuable potions ingredient.

"Hermione, will you please help me?" Harry asked his friend, when they left the Great Hall.

"Of course," the girl reassured him, smiling.

Back in the Gryffindor common room, Harry called Dobby and asked him for a small potions phial, before he once again transformed into his phoenix form.

"Oh Merlin..."

"... our Harrykins is a phoenix animagus..."

"... how cool is that?" the Weasley twins cheered upon seeing the water phoenix.

_'How in the world am I supposed to cry?'_ Harry wondered, feverishly trying to think of something sad. However, neither the thought of his dead parents nor the memory of how Voldemort was resurrected last summer made him cry. Only when he recalled that Ron had told him he was going to ask Hermione to become his girlfriend before travelling home for the holidays, the tears finally began to flow. _'I don't want her to become Ron's girlfriend,'_ he sobbed. _'I want her to become mine.'_

"Harry, it's enough," Hermione's voice finally brought him back to reality.

Harry immediately stopped crying and transformed back into his human form, when an idea crossed his mind. _'Phoenix tears are good, but potions ingredients from the basilisk will be much better,'_ he thought and, stating that he had an errand to run, he left for the Chamber of Secrets.

Arriving at the entrance, he once again called Dobby, who brought him several more phials of different sizes, in which Harry would be able to store his harvests.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

During the following few hours, Harry busied himself in the Chamber of Secrets, carefully harvesting the basilisk for potions ingredients. The thought _'Maybe I should bring Snape here one day. It'll be a treasure trove for him'_ crossed his mind, as he finally transformed back into his phoenix form and carefully grabbed the box with phials, wondering if he would be able to flash to the common room.

_'No, I'll just fly to the entrance and walk from there,'_ he resolved, choosing the safer way to return to Gryffindor, where Hermione and Neville were waiting for him.

_'I hope McGonagall won't get a heart attack upon realising that I went to the Chamber of Secrets,'_ he thought, when Hermione questioned him with a glare where he had been.

_tbc tomorrow..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>2 December - Dolores Umbridge<strong>

After breakfast, Dolores swiftly returned to her office, glad to be able to escape from her annoying colleagues and her most stupid students. _'Too many students, especially of these good-for-nothing Gryffindors, have remained at Hogwarts over the holidays,'_ she thought, letting out a relieved sigh upon entering her own office. It was her favourite spot at Hogwarts. _'Oh well, my private quarters are even better, because I love the pink curtains and walls everywhere,'_ she mused, as she let herself sink into her chair to enjoy the peace and quiet of the holidays for a few minutes.

After a little while of rest, which was needed after eating too much of the delicious breakfast, which the minor creatures of house-elves were miraculously able to make, she rose from her armchair to continue what she had begun earlier in the morning.

She took each of her cat plates from the wall, one after another, and carefully cleaned them by hand, not trusting the elves to deal with them and not able to cast a cleaning spell. _'Thank Merlin no one knows that my magic barely exceeds that of a squib'_, she thought, grinning mischievously. _'No one would respect me if they knew. Oh well, they'd even throw me out of Hogwarts,' _she realised.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Two hours later, she was finished with the cleaning. The plates were as shiny as they could be. Contentedly, she retired to her living room and made herself comfortable on the pink plush sofa, resolving to think about some ideas of how to spoil Christmas Day for her colleagues, and maybe also for the students. _'Annoying busybodies,'_ she thought in disgust.

By the time she trailed to the Great Hall for lunch, she had made up her mind. During the afternoon, she was going to write a few nice letters as Christmas presents to selected professors. _'First of all, Hagrid and Sybil Trelawney will be fired,'_ she thought, contentedly. _'Then I'm going to put Poppy Pomfrey and Severus Snape on probation. Oh no, maybe not Snape. If he uses Legilimency on me, I'm busted. No, Poppy and maybe Rolanda Hooch. Oh right, we're going to abolish Quidditch, as flying is too dangerous for the students anyway.'_

"Dolores, what is so funny on this fine day?" Albus enquired, looking at her from his most annoying, twinkling, baby blue eyes.

"Ah I'm just planning my Christmas presents," she replied, giving the headmaster a fake smile. _'He's going to be on probation too, and before the year is over, I'm going to be the new headmistress,'_ she resolved.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

As soon as lunch was over, she eagerly made her way back to her office, ready to write a couple of letters, to which she was really looking forward. Unfortunately, she suddenly happened to stumble - maybe because of inattentiveness, maybe because something had been on the floor where nothing was supposed to be. However, she hit her head on the stone floor, and bright stars appeared in front of her eyes.

_'Oh no,'_ she thought in annoyance, gripping her head in pain_. 'Surely one of the students left something in the hall, probably that annoying Potter boy,'_ she thought, as she slowly walked to the hospital wing to receive a remedy for her headache.

"What was it that Mr. Potter dropped in the corridor?" Snape queried, while Poppy waved her wand over her.

"I don't know," she replied in a firm voice.

"Dolores, you have a slight concussion and need to rest for a few hours. I'm going to keep you here for the time being," Poppy announced.

"No no, I have something urgent to do," Dolores replied and demanded, "Just give me a headache potion."

She downed the potions that Poppy handed her without questioning what it was, while Snape continued, "You could not see what it was, but you know that Mr. Potter dropped something?"

"Yes, he's an annoying idiot," she replied, matter-of-factly. "He dropped something to make me stumble."

"As much as I might agree with your opinion about the Potter boy," Snape had the gall to still continue the unpleasant conversation, "I know for a fact that he remained in the Great Hall to help Minerva decorate the Christmas tree."

Choosing to completely ignore the Potions Master's tirade, Dolores turned on her heels and left the hospital wing, glad that her headache had receded some. _'Maybe I should just fire Snape, too,'_ she thought on the way back to her quarters. Only when she crossed the spot where she had stumbled earlier, she realised that a toad was roaming the hall. _'Disgusting,'_ she thought, eyeing the small animal with absolute loathing.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

During the following hours, she engrossed herself writing instant dismissal letters to Hagrid, Trelawney and Snape as well as probation announcements to Pomfrey, Hooch and the headmaster. _'Oh no, not Snape,'_ she suddenly thought, when she felt her headache return full force. _'I need him to brew headache potions.'_ Regretting what she had to do, she tore the dismissal letter to the Potions Master, but then smiled as she let her eyes wander over the five other letters. _'I'm going to have them delivered at breakfast tomorrow morning,'_ she decided and proceeded to develop her newest rule - concerning the prohibition of all flying activities including Quidditch.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Neither her headache, which did not completely vanish with the potions nor the presence of her most bothersome student, Harry Potter, in her office for his detention was able to ruin her good mood. She remained seated in her armchair the whole evening, letting her eyes wander from the five letters to Harry Potter, who was fighting with her blood quill, with pleasure. _'Soon, I will be the headmistress and can kick out all of the most irritating teachers and students,'_ she thought, happily, when a sudden idea crossed her mind.

_'As soon as Potter is gone, I'm going to make another rule. All students who have served detention ten times or more with any teacher, will be suspended from Hogwarts for the rest of the school year,'_ she decided, and a smile was playing on her lips, as she observed the student in front of her suffer. _'Tonight, I'm going to keep him until midnight,_' she resolved, reassuring the student with the best fake smile that she could manage that he still had time to write. _'Everyone has time to do what they like,'_ she thought in amusement. '_It's Christmas Eve.'_

_tbc... (if there is interest)..._

_Thanks to the kind reviewers for their feedback!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>3 December - Minerva McGonagall<strong>

Minerva McGonagall groaned in annoyance, when her house-elf Malcolm alerted her to the fact that breakfast was going to commence in thirty minutes. It was not as if she hadn't been awake for about three hours already, but she was still not ready to face her colleagues. Some of them were meddling, others curious, and some always worrying about her, but none of them would just leave her in peace and to her own thoughts.

In fact, she had spent the last few hours making a mental shopping list with Christmas presents for all of her colleagues. However, in spite of her efforts, she still did not have a clue what to get for Dolores Umbridge or Severus Snape.

_'Oh well, I'll just have a look at the Defence section at Flourish & Blotts,'_ she resolved. _'I'll give Dolores some kind of practical defence book. She won't like it, but it'll be worth watching her face when she opens the gift,'_ she thought, chuckling.

With that idea in mind, her mood improved considerably, and Minerva swiftly got ready for the day, while her thoughts lingered on the question what to give Severus for Christmas.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

She absentmindedly devoured her breakfast, glad that no one dared addressing her. Only when two of her little lions appeared at the table when breakfast was almost over, did she realise that Hermione Granger and Harry Potter had been missing in the first place. To her relief, the headmaster immediately dealt with the students, so that she could go back to occupying her mind with the question of the day. She was so absentminded that she did not even notice her colleagues leave and remained sitting at the table, deeply engrossed in her thoughts.

All of a sudden, her favourite student, Hermione Granger, addressed her.

"Professor," the girl asked in a soft voice, "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, apart from the fact that I don't have a clue what to give Professor Snape for Christmas," Minerva replied, unsure if she should be grateful or annoyed by the girl's thoughtfulness.

She absentmindedly listened when Harry joined the conversation and said something about phoenix tears. _'That's a good idea,'_ Minerva thought. _'I can ask Fawkes for some phoenix tears for Severus.'_ Aloud she said, "That's a good idea, Mr. Potter. Thank you very much."

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

By the time Minerva returned from Hogsmeade, feeling very contented with herself, especially because of the book for Dolores and a few prank sweets for Albus, she noticed in surprise that a huge parcel was waiting on her desk.

When she curiously opened the box, she found a dozen small phials, labelled in a clear handwriting _'Phoenix tears'_, _'Basilisk venom'_, _'Basilisk skin_' and several other items that could be used for potions ingredients.

_'Oh no,'_ she thought, completely taken aback. _'That must have been Harry's doing. He must have gone to the Chamber of Secrets to harvest these ingredients for me. Apart from the phoenix tears of course. Oh well, good that I didn't ask Fawkes already. He wouldn't have been pleased to give tears again so soon.'_ Eyeing in the ingredients in disbelief, she realised, _'These must be worth at least a million Galleons. Severus will be over the moon with joy, even if he won't be happy realising to whom he owes these.'_

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

After staring at the ingredients for a few more minutes, she left her office and headed to the common room in determination.

Seeing that Harry and Hermione were eagerly listening to the Weasley twins, she asked crisply, "Messrs. Weasley, are you not in detention with Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yes, we were..."

"... but she let us go..."

"... until after lunch," the twins replied in their usual way of speaking that annoyed Minerva to a great extent.

"Very well," she acknowledged and turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter, may I assume that I owe you the box with potions ingredients?" she asked in a slightly softer voice.

"I hope that Professor Snape will like them," Harry replied in a small voice, causing Minerva to shake her head in disbelief.

"That he will like them?" she asked, incredulously. "He'll be over the moon with joy. However, I can't give him these ingredients, apart from the phoenix tears."

"Sorry Professor, but why not?" Harry queried, quirking an eyebrow at her that reminded her of her Slytherin colleague.

"Because that set is worth more than a million Galleons," Minerva informed the boy. "I can't accept such a valuable gift. It would be better if you gave it directly to Professor Snape."

Harry stared at her in disbelief and vehemently shook his head, before he mumbled something like "Do whatever you wish with it."

Minerva sighed. "Harry, please don't misunderstand me. I really appreciate your generosity, although," she continued in a sterner voice, "I don't want you to go to the Chamber of Secrets just by yourself ever again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Professor," Harry said, nodding indifferently.

"If you don't mind," Minerva continued in a friendlier tone, "I'll give the box to Professor Dumbledore and tell him that it's a gift from you to the school."

"Of course I don't mind, Professor," Harry replied, quietly, adding, "I only wanted to help you, as you were in need of a gift for Professor Snape."

"Professor," Hermione spoke up, ending the strange conversation. "When are we going to decorate the Christmas tree?"

"Right after lunch," Minerva replied, glancing at her wrist watch.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Relieved that she had all of her Christmas presents together, she patiently taught Hermione and Harry how to decorate the Christmas tree using Transfiguration spells and charms, glad when they finished two hours before dinner, so that she had just enough time to return to her office and wrap her presents and take the potions ingredients to Albus. From Harry's box, she only took the phoenix tears and wrapped the phial for Severus, before she grabbed the box and carried it through the fireplace to the headmaster's office.

The headmaster was stunned to say the least, however, to Minerva's relief, he accepted the box and promised to hand it to the Potions Master.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

_'What a busy day in spite of the fact that it's Christmas Eve,'_ she thought, yawning, when she returned to her private quarters after dinner, looking forward to a quiet evening together with her best friends Poppy and Rolanda.

Both of her friends were cat animagi like herself, and the three friends spent the rest of the evening cuddling on the fluffy carpet in front of the fireplace.

=Minnie, are you all right?= Poppy, who was a marmalade cat, enquired, eyeing her in apparent concern.

=I'm fine,= Minerva reassured her friend. =I'm only tired, because I spent half the night wondering what to give our colleagues for Christmas.=

=Ah, just have a look at the goodies that the cats buried in the sand in the bathroom,= Rolanda threw in. =For some people like Dolores I'm sure you'd find something appropriate.=

=Oh Merlin, don't let the students hear such things,= Minerva replied, shaking her head in annoyance, even if she had to admit to herself that she had to agree concerning her least favourite colleague. _'I wonder if Rolanda will like the fake wand that she's going to get for Christmas,'_ she thought, _'and Poppy the fake thermometer.'_

=Oh by the way,= Rolanda spoke up again between licks at her brown fur, =this morning, I saw an unknown phoenix fly over Hogwarts for about an hour. He even sat on some of the windowsills and looked inside. It wasn't Albus, but a blue phoenix,= she added, giving her friends a questioning look.

=If it was blue, it must have been a water phoenix,= Minerva replied, thoughtfully. =I don't know any water phoenix though.=

The three felines spent the remaining hours of Christmas Eve cuddling and chatting, before the warmth of the fireplace lured them into sleep.

_tbc..._

__Thanks to the kind reviewers for their feedback!__


	4. Chapter 4

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>4 December - Tom Riddle<strong>

Tom cast a tempus spell at the wall, noticing that it was two o'clock in the afternoon. Somehow, he felt strangely tired and weak this morning. _'Strange,'_ he thought. _'It wasn't that late last night. It was only midnight, when Malfoy and Bella left.' _He remained in bed for a few more minutes, considering what he was going to do. _'It's Christmas Eve,_' he recalled. _'A good time to burn down some muggle houses.'_

He slowly scrambled out of bed and made himself some tea. Malfoy had already offered multiple times to send one of his house-elves to Riddle Manor and make him look after Tom, however, Tom did not easily trust anyone and preferred to live just by himself.

_'Well, since everyone is spending the day with their families, maybe I should go and visit my old orphanage,'_ he thought, instinctively feeling that the place, even if he had always hated it, was the closest to a family that he had.

After drinking two mugs of hot tea, which did not really help to vanish his tiredness, he apparated right in front of the orphanage. He let himself sink onto the steps right behind the huge Christmas tree that was standing to the left side of the entrance, making sure that no one would be able to spot him from any of the windows.

While he was staring into the Christmas tree that was decorated with red baubles, golden angels and white snowflakes, his thoughts went back to the time when he had been a permanent resident at the orphanage.

There was one Christmas, during which he had received a teddy-bear. It had been dark brown and looked as if someone had knitted him by hand, and Tom had liked it a lot. Wherever he went, the teddy was with him - until one day, when all children from the orphanage went for a long walk. During the walk, an older boy had shouted at him that he was a baby carrying his teddy with him all the time. Becoming very upset, five-year-old Tom had used accidental magic to fling the boy backwards into the river, however, unfortunately, the boy had already had his teddy in a firm grip and pulled him with him into the deep water. The boy had been rescued by the adults, however, Tom's teddy was gone forever. "You're bad. You almost killed a boy. You've no reason to cry for a teddy," the older children had shouted at him, and at that time, Tom had sworn to himself that no one would see him cry ever again.

At another time, when Tom had been ten years old, he had received a stupid book about a plain normal boy with his pet dog. _'I don't want a book about normal boys,'_ he had thought, feeling very sad. _'I want a book about children who can make things happen like myself.'_ Upset about his own present, he somehow made everyone's Christmas presents vanish including his own stupid book, making everyone become very angry at him. "You're a freak!" the boringly normal children had shouted at him, nursing his hatred for everyone who was not a freak like himself.

_'They were all stupid - as stupid as this ridiculous Christmas tree. It still has the same decoration that it had sixty years ago,'_ Tom thought and stepped away from the tree and the orphanage. From the other side of the road, he unobtrusively waved his wand at the tree, setting it on fire.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Hidden behind a tree on the other side of the road, he observed how the children and the adults of the orphanage ran outside to see their precious Christmas tree burn down, before the fire brigade came, just to make sure that the fire did not affect the house.

_'Don't worry, I'll come back tomorrow to burn down the whole orphanage. It's my Christmas present to the orphanage and its inhabitants,'_ Tom thought, before he apparated home, suddenly feeling cold when the flames from the tree subsided.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Back at home, Tom called Malfoy and Bella to inform them of his plan for Christmas day.

"Tomorrow evening at six o'clock, just when Christmas dinner begins at the orphanage, we're going to cast the spell," he informed his most trusted Death Eaters, who agreed immediately.

"Yes Master," Bella was the first to reply.

"What exactly do you wish me to do?" Malfoy queried, causing Tom to explain every single detail of how he intended to deliver his so-called Christmas present to the orphanage.

His allies agreed, and they decided to meet at Riddle Manor at fifteen minutes to six and apparate to the orphanage together.

"Master, are you feeling all right?" Bella suddenly asked in apparent concern.

"No," Tom replied, having to admit to himself that he felt strangely weak and even slightly dizzy on this Christmas Eve. He flinched back badly, when Bella unexpectedly extended a hand to feel his forehead.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, angrily.

"I was merely checking if you have a fever, my Master," Bella replied, apologetically. "I believe that you're ill."

"Do you have a thermometer?" Malfoy enquired, only to add, "I'm not able to check a temperature with a spell."

"They really should teach Healing at Hogwarts," Tom replied, before he denied having any muggle devices in his home.

"Well, I'll bring one when I come to check on you in the morning," Bella said in a firm voice, agreeing with Lucius Malfoy to meet again at Tom's place at ten o'clock in the morning.

_'Ah, they should just leave me in peace,'_ Tom thought, when he crawled into bed thirty minutes later, hoping to be able to just sleep his headache away.

_tbc..._

_Thanks to the kind reviewers who fed my muse!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>5 December - Hermione Granger<strong>

Wondering what the errand was that Harry had to run, Hermione decided to write a letter to Ron. At breakfast, she had received a letter from Ron, who asked her if she wanted to become his girlfriend.

_'Was it really necessary to ask such a thing in a letter?'_ she wondered, incredulously, shaking her head in annoyance. _'Until yesterday morning, he was here and could have asked me in person.'_ She remained thoughtful for a while, thinking about Ron and Harry and the feelings that she had for her two best friends. _'They're both great friends,'_ she thought, _'but I don't have any romantic feelings, at least not towards Ron. If I'd become the girlfriend of one of them, I think it would be Harry.'_

She readied her quill, thinking, _'He won't like my response, but it has to be.'_ Letting out a deep sigh, she began to write her letter.

_'Dear Ron,_

_thank you so much for your letter and the offer to become my boyfriend. I'm sorry to say this, but I'd prefer to remain best friends, as even if I have some feelings for you, I don't think that it's love. I hope that you don't mind my honest reply and wish you a Happy Christmas. Please give my best regards to your parents and brothers._

_Festive greetings_

_Hermione'_

_'He won't like that,'_ she thought, sighing again. Deep in thoughts, she walked up to the owlery and handed her parchment to a school owl, instructing her to take the letter to Ronald Weasley.

_'Maybe I should write to Ginny, too,'_ she thought, however, dismissed the idea right away. _'I'll write tomorrow after opening her Christmas present,_' she resolved.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Back in the common room, Neville hesitantly addressed her. "Hermione, would you mind practising the Animagus transformation for a bit?" he asked in a soft voice, giving her a questioning look.

"Of course," Hermione replied, smiling. She, Harry and Neville had been secretly trying to become Animagi, and while Harry had already succeeded in the transformation, she and Neville were only able to change their whole bodies apart from their heads. Hermione's Animagus form was a kneazle cat like her familiar Crookshanks, and Neville was attempting to transform into a toad, in order to be able to communicate with his own familiar.

They practised for about an hour - in the boys' dormitory as usual - and just when Harry returned with a huge box in his arms, Neville managed the complete transformation.

"Congratulations Neville, you did it!" Harry immediately said, smiling broadly at the toad on the floor.

"That's really great Neville," Hermione agreed, before she asked in a stern voice, "Harry, where have you been?"

"I only harvested some basilisk ingredients, so that McGonagall can give them to Snape for Christmas," Harry replied, matter-of-factly, only to add, pensively, "I better ask Dobby to put them onto her desk."

"Has any of you seen Trevor?" Neville, who had already transformed back into his human form, suddenly asked. "He must have run away as usual, but I can't wait to speak with him."

"We haven't, but we'll help you search," Hermione said, gently, interrupting her own efforts to transform into her cat form in order to help Neville find his toad.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Before any of the students was able to locate the toad, Professor McGonagall entered the common room and, after a short conversation with Harry about the potions ingredients, invited the fifth-years to help decorating the Christmas tree in the Great Hall after lunch.

Together with Harry, Hermione trailed behind the professor to the Great Hall, where - after a quick lunch - McGonagall taught them to transfigure tissues into baubles, to which they could add patterns or ornaments using different kinds of charms.

While Harry chose to add patterns of various kinds of magical animals to his baubles, Hermione made ornaments with all-over patterns of the symbols of Hogwarts and the four houses.

"Very well done," McGonagall finally commended them, seemingly contented with their work.

"I'd like to add some snow to the tree," Hermione spoke up. "Like Professor Flitwick adds it to the ceiling, so that it snows in the Great Hall, even if it's not snowing outside, but the snow doesn't reach the floor.

McGonagall nodded. "I know that charm," she replied and taught Hermione the incantation.

"Gorgeous," Harry said, observing the snow fall down from the tip of the tree without reaching the floor.

_'He doesn't look well,'_ Hermione suddenly realised, noticing that Harry was very pale, but his cheeks were feverishly flushed, and his eyes seemed dull and glassy. Knowing that he wouldn't like it if she asked him in front of the teacher, she did not say anything, but ushered him back to the common room as soon as they were finished decorating the tree as well as the Great Hall.

"Harry, you're ill," she said, when they reached the common room. "Shall I call Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, I'll be all right," Harry refused. "I have detention with Umbridge after dinner, and I can't miss that."

_'If he's ill, he'll just have to miss it,'_ Hermione thought, annoyed, however, she knew better than to contradict, as neither Harry nor Ron would see reason in such a case anyway.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

A few hours later, she was sitting in the common room, worriedly waiting for Harry to come back from his detention. The Weasley twins were trying to entertain her as well as they could, however, Hermione was too concerned to be able to laugh about their antics. When the twins finally suggested to brew a prank potion for Professor Umbridge and make Dobby spell it into her system, Hermione absentmindedly agreed, only to realise what she had just done, when the twins vanished from the common room.

_'Oh well, she really deserves it,'_ she thought, before she engrossed herself in her Potions book, while she was waiting for Harry.

By the time the twins returned to the common room, seemingly contented with themselves and in a good mood, there was still no sign from Harry.

_'It's already nearly midnight,'_ Hermione thought, angrily. _'Maybe I should go to McGonagall to complain about Umbridge. I just hope that the prank the twins played on her to avenge Harry is a good one.'_ She was just about to go and report to her head of house that her best friend had still not returned from his detention, when Harry finally climbed through the portrait hole.

_tbc..._

_A huge thanks to the kind readers who commented on yesterday's chapter!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>6 December - Sybil Trelawney<strong>

Sybil slept through breakfast, knowing that too many students for her liking were staying at Hogwarts during these holidays, and she used to attend the meals in the Great Hall only if there were less than three students - or if the headmaster or his deputy forced her to attend.

All of a sudden, she was pulled into a vision and ended up making a new prophecy.

_'The snarky changeling will vanquish the one who is not supposed to be, while the one marked by him will die on Christmas, making the one with the most power dismiss the seer at dinner,' she thought._

_'What was that?'_ she wondered, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.

After a long nap, she made her way to the headmaster's office to share her newest prophecy with Albus Dumbledore, as he was the one who was usually able and willing to comprehend and believe her prophecies.

To her relief, the headmaster was alone and patiently listened to her ramblings, pointing his wand at an empty parchment to record her prophecy. He remained thoughtful for a few minutes, before he spoke up. "This sounds as if Professor Snape was going to vanquish Voldemort, while Harry Potter is going to die tomorrow," he said, incredulously.

_'He doesn't believe me,'_ Sybil realised. _'Oh well.'_ "I shall not attend Christmas dinner," she replied, crisply, before she excused herself and left.

On the way back to her rooms, she made a detour to the hospital wing.

"Hello Sybil, is something wrong?" Poppy asked, gently, coming out of her office, as soon as she heard the door to the hospital wing open.

"Yes, I had a vision, and it's important that you keep Severus Snape here in the hospital wing tomorrow," Sybil informed the healer, still hoping to be able to save her original prophecy.

"I'm sorry, Sybil, but if he isn't ill, I won't be able to keep him here," Poppy outright refused and suggested, "If you had a vision showing that he'll be in danger tomorrow, please speak with Albus. He'll surely understand and warn Severus."

_'I know that,'_ Sybil thought, feeling very upset about the healer's refusal. _'He's not in danger, but I don't want him to do what I saw him do. It's Harry's job.'_

During the afternoon, the Divination professor busied herself trying to read from various cups, however, there was nothing that was willing to give her a clue as to which of her prophecies was the real one.

After hours of trying, she felt so stressed that her head began to hurt badly, and she finally decided to leave the Divination classroom. _'I'll take a hot bath and then go to bed and try to sleep through Christmas day,'_ she resolved, feeling absolutely annoyed at the occurrences of Christmas Eve.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

Late in the evening, she woke up, startled. _'Was that a dream or a vision?'_ she wondered in shock, as she had just viewed a scene, in which she - in contrary to her earlier vision - received her dismissal letter in form of a Christmas present from Dolores Umbridge. _'I'm going to be fired tomorrow, that's for sure,'_ she thought, horrified, as she tried to go back to sleep in vain.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for your kind comments. See you tomorrow - with the Weasley twins..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>7 December - Fred and George Weasley<strong>

Fred and George had originally intended to travel home over Christmas. However, during the last week before the holidays, a prank, which they had played on the first-years, had gone wrong, causing all the first-years to become sick for two days. Totally enraged by their recklessness as she called it, Pomfrey had assigned the twins detention in the hospital wing for three days including Christmas Eve.

McGonagall had offered that the twins could use her fireplace to floo home on Christmas Eve, however, the twins had decided to just remain at Hogwarts, knowing that Hermione, Harry and Neville were the only other Gryffindors present during the holidays.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

_'We're going to have much fun this Christmas,'_ they decided, when they trailed to the hospital wing right after breakfast on Christmas Eve.

During the morning, Pomfrey made them finish clearing out her supply shelf, a task, which the twins found quite interesting. _'Who knows for what it might be good knowing Pomfrey's supply shelf by heart,'_ they thought, simultaneously, grinning at each other. They almost regretted when they were finished an hour before lunch, wondering what the healer would make them do in the afternoon.

On their way back to the hospital wing for the remaining afternoon of their detention, they discovered Neville's toad roaming the halls. Fred was just about to pick up the toad, wondering what kind of mischief they could do with it, when the twins saw their most hated professor walking through the corridor just a bit ahead of them.

"Leave the toad," George whispered to his brother and, pulling his wand as he spoke, cast a tripling spell at the professor.

Before Umbridge even realised what happened, the twins had already turned around the corner, knowing that there was a shortcut leading right behind the hospital wing. As they went, they could hear Umbridge moan and mumble to herself in what seemed to be a very upset voice.

"Serves her right," Fred whispered.

"She really deserved it," George agreed, chuckling.

When they arrived at their destination, Pomfrey was deeply engrossed in a conversation with the Potions Master and motioned the twins to wait for a moment, before she interrupted her discussion to tend to a seemingly distressed professor in pink robes.

Sitting in the healer's office, where they were safe from the Defence professor's view, the twins listened with a combination of surprise and amusement how Umbridge complained about Harry having made her stumble by throwing something into her way.

"How ridiculous," Fred whispered to George, making his brother nod his agreement.

For an instant, the twins considered giving themselves out to the healer, when they heard Poppy's and especially Snape's reaction to the unfair accusation.

"Thank Merlin," George whispered to Fred, and both twins grinned until the healer returned to her office, shaking her head in apparent annoyance at the Defence professor.

"We need to tell Harry how Snape stood up for him," George whispered.

"He won't believe it," Fred agreed in amusement.

To their relief and great pleasure, Pomfrey merely made them brew a few potions for the hospital wing, apparently knowing from Snape that they had not only received Os in their OWLs but were in fact both very adept at Potions.

"This is the best that could happen..."

"... as it gives us the chance to brew some nice prank potions as well," the twins whispered to each other on the way to the Potions classroom. They had already chosen a potion, which they wanted to put into everyone's drink at Christmas dinner, and had just been waiting for an opportunity to brew the concoction.

Fortunately, no one supervised the twins, and while one of them brewed one of the requested healing potions, the other dealt with the prank potion. By the time they finished the assigned potions, they had even brewed two more joke potions in addition.

12月24日・クリスマスイーブ

"This was a fun day..." one said to the other when they returned to the common room after dinner.

"... but the best was making Umbridge stumble earlier..."

"... She didn't know what happened to her," they agreed, laughing uncontrollably.

To the twins' surprise, Hermione was alone in the common room. Neville was absent, apparently searching for his toad, while Harry was in detention with Umbridge.

"Maybe this would be a good timing..."

"... to use one of our prank potions..."

"... on Harrykins and Neville," the twins suggested, chuckling.

However, Hermione protested vehemently, pointing out that Harry seemed to be ill and Neville in distress because of his search for his familiar.

"Do you want us to go..."

"... and brew a love potion for Umbridge..."

"... and ask an elf to spell it into her system?" the twins suggested, realising in surprise that Hermione agreed immediately.

"I wonder what happened to Hermione," Fred said to George, when they strode through the empty halls towards the Potions classroom.

"I can't believe that she agreed to our plan," George replied, nodding his concurrence.

"Yes, it makes one wonder if something was wrong with her," Fred added.

During the following hour, the twins busied themselves brewing the love potion. While George prepared the ingredients, Fred brewed the potion under his brother's watchful eyes. Finally, they added the piece of hair, which they had collected from their little stock in the dormitory earlier.

"Let's return to Gryffindor quickly," they decided and hurriedly made their way back to their house. Only when they had safely reached the common room, they called Dobby and instructed him to spell the potion into Umbridge's system as soon as possible.

"Dobby wills do this right away," the friendly elf promised, before he popped away with a loud crack, leaving the twins to their imagination what was going to happen on Christmas day.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for the kind comments for previous chapters!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>8 December - Hagrid<strong>

It was still dark when Hagrid headed out into the Forbidden Forest, accompanied by his most loyal companion, Fang. He had already selected the Christmas tree for the Great Hall in advance, so that he could go straight to the right spot. He hurriedly cut the large tree and carried it into the castle to put it up next to the high table in the Great Hall, before breakfast was going to commence.

"S' orry Fang, yer not allowed in the castle," he told his best friend, as he opened the entrance doors. "'owever, after breakfast, I'll be back real certain quick an' we'll sit fer a while," he promised, causing Fang to waggle his tail and obediently return to their hut.

After putting up the tree with the help of his umbrella, he glanced at his wrist watch. _'Still fif'een minutes afore breakfast,'_ he thought. _'I'll be off home and ask Dobby to bring me somethin.'_

In fact, he was not in the mood to have breakfast together with his colleagues and the students, who were all very excited about Christmas anyway. For him, Christmas was not as special as for everyone else. A long time had passed already, however, Hagrid would never forget that his mother had died on Christmas Eve more than fifty years ago - in the same year, in which he had wrongly been accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets.

"It was the wors year o' my life," Hagrid told Fang, who was the most patient listener that one could imagine.

The dog made himself comfortable on the floor next to Hagrid's favourite chair, a comfortable armchair, which he had once received from the headmaster, where he occupied himself munching a rock cake and listening to his human friend.

"And o course everyone believed Riddle an' not me, I'm only a 'alf human as it appens," Hagrid continued. "Still, I wish every year that someun could do somethin 'bout it. 'arry could 'n definitely would be willin' ta prove that no one can open Chamber, who's can't parley Parseltongue. But no one would listen to him anyhow, especial' since Severus tells dose who listen he's an attention seeking brat. 'n Albus only cares about the prophecy an not about 'arry in the slightest."

Fang gently licked his master's hand. Even if he could not help him in the matter, it would console the unhappy, large human.

Feeling comfortable in his familiar's presence, Hagrid continued to mull about his past for the next few hours, occasionally voicing his thoughts to the dog.

Hagrid let out a long sigh, as he gently petted the dog's head, noticing that it was already beginning to get dark. "Do you thinks I'm ungrateful, Fang?" he then asked. "I should be 'appy that the 'eadmaster allows me to work here. Otherwise, I'd 'ave ended in Azkaban. I jus' 'ope..." He interrupted himself upon hearing a knock at the door.

Surprised and slightly anxious to see who was coming to visit him so close to dinnertime on Christmas Eve, Hagrid hesitantly opened the door, only to sigh in relief upon seeing Severus standing there.

"Come in," he told the young man, whom he had knew fairly well. Even as a student, Severus had often come to visit him, not only when he needed potions ingredients from any of his animals.

"'agrid, what happened?" Severus enquired, apparently noticing that his face was tear-stricken.

"Ah nuthin'," Hagrid replied, sighing. "Just 'aving a melancholic day." Realising from the Potions Master's look that he did not believe a word, he showed the younger wizard his umbrella. "Dolores saw it t'other day. Ever since ben 'fraid of going to Azkaban again."

Severus let out a snort. "Rubbish," he replied in determination. "In fact, I've just had a longer conversation with Albus and Minerva with the outcome that Albus will contact the Ministry of Magic for a trial for you in order to prove your innocence concerning the incident with the Chamber of Secrets fifty-three years ago."

Hagrid stared at his young colleague in disbelief.

Snape sighed, before he explained, "Albus and Minerva came to me with a large box of potions ingredients, explaining that Potter had gone to harvest the basilisk this afternoon. When I asked them how to get there in order to view the cadaver myself, I was told that I could only enter the Chamber together with Potter, as the Chamber needs to be opened with an incantation in Parseltongue. One point led to the next, and when I pointed out your matter, the headmaster was clearly shocked about not having thought about it earlier. He promised to floo call Fudge right away."

While the Potions Master was still speaking, large tears began to run over the half-giant's cheeks. "I cannat believe it," Hagrid sobbed. "Thank ye kindly, Severus."

"No thanks needed," Severus replied. "Let's just hope that everything will work out. By the way, I need an advice."

"O' course," Hagrid replied, smiling at the prospect of being able to help the younger wizard.

"I'd like to give Potter something for Christmas in return for the box, which is worth several millions of Galleons," Severus explained, pensively, "and I was hoping that you'd have an idea as to what to give the boy. As you know, our relationship is not good, and I don't know him well."

Hagrid's face lit up with joy. "I've got jus' the right thing," he blurted out in excitement. "Only recently, a small family o' griffins has settled down in the forest," he explained. "They were thought to have vanished completely, 'owever, dey survived deep in the forest. Anyway, the small family had babies last summer. We could go and ask if they'd give us one of the babies to grow up at Hogwarts as a wizard's familiar."

"Are you sure that they're griffins?" Severus queried, sceptically.

"I'm certain," Hagrid promised. "Come Fang, lead us to the griffins," he instructed his dog, who happily ran ahead through the open door, taking a straight course towards the forest.

_'I'd love Harry to have one of them,'_ Hagrid mused. _'Too bad that I didn' t'ink of it earlier. Then I could have given it to him myself. Oh well, I just hope that everything Severus told me will turn out well. It would be incredible to be able to hold a proper wand instead of this stupid umbrella.'_

_tbc..._

_Thanks a lot to the kind reviewers!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>9 December - Neville Longbottom<strong>

When Neville woke up in the morning, it was still dark. He immediately recalled that it was Christmas Eve and that he had to remain at Hogwarts because his granny was ill and in hospital. It was not as if he minded remaining at Hogwarts, especially since Harry and Hermione, his two best friends, were staying over the holidays, too. But it was a tradition that once a year, on Christmas Day, his granny took him to St. Mungo's, so that he could visit his parents.

_'Bad enough that they're like that and that I can only get to see them once a year,'_ he thought, miserably, _'I'd well be able to floo to St. Mungo's just by myself, but leave it to Granny to forbid me to go alone,'_ he thought, feeling very upset at his grandmother and unable to keep back the tears.

He lay there and just let the tears flow, until he noticed, horrified, that someone came over and let himself sink on the edge of his bed.

"Neville, what's wrong?" Harry enquired in a soft voice.

Neville had never ever told anyone about his parents' situation. However, this was Harry, who was only a day younger than himself, who was his mother's godson, while Harry's mother had been his, Neville's godmother. If he could tell anyone about it, it was Harry.

Making up his mind, he told his friend everything about his parents, his strict grandmother and about visiting his parents once a year.

His tears slowly subsided, feeling very much consoled by Harry's compassionate response. However, noticing that the other boy seemed horrified, he added, lightly, "I'm glad that I can stay at Hogwarts over the holidays though. Granny is very difficult to get along with. Sorry for waking you up, Harry. It's all right now. I'm going to sleep a bit more." With that, he turned around to face the wall, feeling exhausted from crying. Even if he knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he feigned falling asleep as well as he could in order to not bother Harry more than necessary.

_'It's nice to have such great friends,'_ he mused, as he waited for the time until breakfast to pass.

HP

After breakfast, he helped Professor Sprout caring for the plants in the greenhouses for a while, before he retreated to the common room to see if Hermione and Harry were there, so that they could practise the Animagus transformation. He could almost manage to change into his toad form. Only his head was left, and it was very annoying with a human head on top of a toad's body, so that Neville was unable to practise changing his head separately but always had to transform back completely before trying the complete transformation again.

_'I can't wait to be able to properly transform. Since I came to Hogwarts, I always had the impression as if Trevor wanted to tell me something, and I can't wait to be able to communicate with him,'_ he thought, as he climbed through the portrait hole.

To his disappointment, neither Hermione nor Harry were present in the common room, not even the Weasley twins, and he knew better than to practise just on his own, especially since he knew that he would not be able to move let alone call anyone for help in his half-human half-toad form.

He fetched his book _'Encyclopaedia of Herbology'_, which his granny had given him for his birthday last summer, and made himself comfortable in front of the fireplace, wondering where everyone had gone.

HP

He had just finished reading the next page, when Hermione entered the common room, smiling at him. Neville hesitantly addressed her and asked, pleadingly, "Hermione, would you mind practising the Animagus transformation for a bit?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, eagerly. "We can practise until lunchtime."

Neville happily followed the girl into his dormitory, where they usually practised. It took one hour of practice, before he all of a sudden managed the complete transformation - just when Harry entered the dormitory with a huge box in his arms.

"Congratulations Neville, you did it!" Harry immediately said, smiling broadly at the toad on the floor.

"That's really great Neville," Hermione agreed, before she questioned Harry about his earlier whereabouts in a strict voice.

The thought _'She's almost as strict as granny'_ crossed Neville's mind, but he knew better than to voice it. He was much too happy to be able to transform into his toad form now anyway. Changing back and forth a few times, he made sure that it had not only been a onetime thing, but that he was able to repeat the transformation whenever he wanted.

"Has any of you seen Trevor?" he suddenly asked, only now realising that his toad seemed to have vanished yet again.

"No, but we'll help you search," Hermione promised, and his friends helped him search the dormitory, followed by the common room, where they were interrupted by their head of house.

Only now did Neville realise that Harry had gone to the Chamber of Secrets to harvest the basilisk all by himself. _'He should have asked us,'_ he thought, feeling slightly irritated. _'Hermione and I would have both helped him.'_

While the others followed McGonagall to the Great Hall, Neville took a short detour, walking by some of Trevor's favourite spots, before he went after the others, knowing that he couldn't miss lunch, as no one would accept _'Searching for my toad'_ as excuse.

After lunch, he continued his search, walking through all the corridors apart from the unused ones. However, it was only late in the evening that he discovered his toad, lingering near Professor Umbridge's office.

"Oh no, let's go away here quickly, before that bitch does something to you," he told Trevor and gently picked him up, carrying him back to the common room.

HP

Back in the common room, Neville smiled at his familiar and said, "I've a surprise for you."

With that, he transformed into his toad form, looking at his familiar in expectation.

=Oh Merlin, Neville, you did it! Congratulations!= Trevor replied, smiling, only to add, =All these years I've been wanting to speak with you. Thank you so much for becoming a toad animagus. This makes me very happy, as there's something important that I must tell you.=

_tbc tomorrow..._

_Thank you for the kind comments - my muse really appreciates them!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>10 December - Severus Snape<strong>

Severus woke up fairly early, recalling in annoyance that it was Christmas Eve. _'I just hope that the Dark Lord won't have any great ideas for tonight,'_ he thought, as he went to take a shower and get ready for the day. _'I also hope that Poppy will leave me in peace with potions for the hospital wing, so I can spend the day working on the experimental time travel potion,'_ he mused, noticing how well the hot water felt compared to the cold dungeon air.

Seeing that he still had time before breakfast, he headed to his lab and immediately engrossed himself in his experiment, only realising that he had to run to be on time for breakfast, when his house-elf Cicero popped up in front of him and informed him of the time.

Fortunately, breakfast was quiet, especially since Potter and the insufferable know-it-all were missing and Minerva seemed engrossed in her own thoughts, so that Severus could use the time pondering if it would be more favourable to stir clockwise or counter clockwise after putting in the moon dew drops.

_'Counter clockwise, twenty-two times,'_ he finally decided right on time to shoot a glare in the direction of the two Gryffindors who had the gall to appear at the breakfast table when everyone else had already finished eating.

As soon as it seemed adequate, Severus excused himself, happy that no one kept him back, so that he was able to work on his potion the whole morning.

With great annoyance, he complied when Cicero alerted him to the fact that lunch was going to commence soon and that he was expected to make an appearance in the Great Hall yet again.

"Severus, do you have a few minutes please?" Poppy kept him back, just when he was about to flee from his colleagues as quickly as possible.

He grudgingly followed the healer into the hospital wing, where the good-for-nothing but adept-at-potions twins had sorted out the healer's ingredients shelf, causing Poppy to make a long list with much needed potions for him. He efficiently managed to convince her to make the twins, who were still in detention with her during the afternoon, brew the easiest three potions, before he promised to deal with the rest as soon as possible.

_'Stupid bitch,'_ he thought upon hearing Umbridge complain about Harry Potter, who apparently made her stumble in the hall.

"Potter remained in the Great Hall to assist Minerva with the decoration of the Christmas tree," he threw in, thinking to himself, _'Compared to that bitch, Potter is close to an angel.'_

_'There goes my time for the research of the time travel potion,'_ he thought, as he swiftly returned to his lab. He busied himself brewing the potions from his list one after another, until Cicero popped up again and announced that Albus and Minerva had flooed over and were waiting for him in his living room.

_'What is it now?'_ he wondered in annoyance, as he hurriedly saved the potions, which could be left under a stasis spell, and banished the rest. _'Dinner is going to commence in thirty minutes anyway. Can't they leave me in peace for once?'_

Setting up a blank mask to not let anyone notice his annoyance, he returned to his living room, where Albus and Minerva were having tea, a large box between them on the table.

"What brings you here this shortly before dinner?" he queried, as he let himself sink into his favourite armchair right in front of the fireplace.

"This morning, Harry Potter went to the Chamber of Secrets, where he harvested the cadaver of the basilisk," Albus began to explain, his eyes holding that happy twinkle, which tended to annoy Severus greatly. "He donated this box of basilisk ingredients to the school."

Severus eyed the box with suspicion, however, made no move to open it.

"Minerva told him to give it right to you, however, Harry refused, stating that you might not want it if it came from him. Therefore, he donated it to the school. We believe that these ingredients are worth a fortune."

Severus slowly rose from his chair, feeling as if he was dreaming. As if driven by an invisible force, he opened the box and peered inside, pulling out small phials that were labelled with the boy's hand writing.

_'This is like a dream,'_ he thought, as he let himself sink back into his chair, quietly eyeing the phials that contained everything that was harvestable from a basilisk, except for basilisk eggs of course.

"These are worth several millions of Galleons," he finally spoke up. "Potter should sell them."

"Severus, you know as well as we do that Harry has more than enough money," the headmaster replied. "They're meant for you to use in the Potions classroom or in your lab."

"Why?" Severus queried in disbelief. "Why would Potter do such a thing? What does he intend with this?"

"Nothing," his two colleagues replied, simultaneously.

"He knew that I was wondering what to give you for Christmas," Minerva said and explained the story to her colleague. "Please accept them and thoroughly enjoy them. Harry only did this just because he could and not to achieve anything."

"Very well," Severus replied, sighing. "Thank you very much then." He remained thoughtful for a moment, before he asked, "Do you believe that Potter would be willing to tell me how to get into the chamber? I'd like to visit the basilisk's cadaver once."

Albus shook his head. "No my boy, that's not possible. Only a speaker of Parseltongue would be able to open the Chamber. We could only ask Harry if he'd be willing to take you with him."

"Only a speaker of Parseltongue?" Severus repeated, alerted. "Then why has no one seen to it that Hagrid was cleared from the accusation of having opened the Chamber fifty-three years ago?"

He noticed contentedly that both the headmaster and his deputy paled visibly, before they let out a collective gasp.

"Oh Merlin, we didn't even think of that, after it became clear that he couldn't have done it," Minerva was the first to reply.

"I'll contact Minister Fudge right away," the headmaster promised and took his leave.

"Thank you Severus, for bringing this to our attention," Minerva said, warmly, and remained to speak with her younger colleague for a few more minutes.

"Even if I didn't receive these straight from Potter, I'll think about an adequate Christmas present for him," Severus thought aloud, more to himself than to his older colleague.

"Maybe if you asked Hagrid, he could give you an advice for an interesting animal that Harry would like," Minerva replied, smiling. "Harry will surely appreciate it."

_tbc tomorrow..._

_Thank you for the kind reviews!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>11 December - Poppy Pomfrey<strong>

_'Christmas Eve. How the time flies,'_ Poppy thought, as she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. _'It was like yesterday when the new firsties were standing over there waiting to be sorted.'_ She took her seat at the high table and looked around, immediately noticing three things. First of all, two of the students, who had remained over the holidays, were missing. Neville Longbottom looked as if he had spent the morning crying, and Minerva seemed strangely absentminded. _'I hope she won't get ill,'_ Poppy thought, always worried for her best friend. Everyone else was strangely quiet on this beautiful, cold winter day.

When she left the Great Hall, together with her other friend, Rolanda, she heard how Hermione Granger asked Minerva what was wrong and sighed in relief upon Minerva's reply. "If Minnie doesn't have other problems than to wonder what to give whom for Christmas, she's lucky," she whispered to Rolanda. "I have the Weasley twins in detention for another day."

_'They're not too bad,'_ a small voice spoke up from the back of her mind, causing her to chuckle. In fact, she liked the bright and funny boys a lot, even if they sometimes did not think enough before playing pranks on others.

She swiftly returned to her office, wondering what she could make the twins do after they finished her supply shelf. _'Maybe they could brew some potions for me,'_ she thought, resolving to discuss the matter with Severus right after lunch.

HP

To Poppy's relief, the twins immediately set to work, so that she could use the quiet time to look through her patients' cards to see if she had not missed anything important in busy times during the school year.

Suddenly, Harry hesitantly entered her office.

"Hello Mr. Potter," she said in a soft voice, surprised to see the boy, because he never willingly came to see her.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Madam, but Neville told me everything about his parents and his granny," the boy began to speak, causing her to look up in surprise. "I was wondering if perhaps any of the adults could take him to the hospital tomorrow," Harry continued. "He seemed devastated that he can't go and see his parents tomorrow."

Poppy smiled. "Thank you so very much for trying to help your friend," she said, warmly. "In fact, I have already planned to take him to the hospital, not only to see his parents but also his granny," she then explained. "Augusta Longbottom was Professor McGonagall's, Madam Hooch's and my classmate, and I know her well. But please don't tell Mr. Longbottom anything yet, as I can never be sure to be able to get away from here."

"I understand," Harry replied, returning her smile. "Thank you very much, Madam Pomfrey." With that he hurriedly left the hospital wing.

_'I hope no one will get ill, then I'll take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital right after breakfast,'_ Poppy resolved, wondering if she should invite Minerva to join them. _'Maybe yes, then she'll be ready to take the boy there, even if I might not be able to go,'_ she thought, deciding to speak with her friend about the matter when they were going to spend Christmas Eve in Minerva's quarters anyway.

HP

An hour before lunch, the twins had already finished flawlessly clearing out her shelf.

"Thank you very much, Messrs. Weasley," she said in a strict voice. "You're free to go now, but I want you back here right after lunch for your afternoon of detention."

"Yes Madam..."

"... We'll be here," the twins replied and vanished so quickly as if they feared that she'd call them back as soon as she got an idea what else she could make them do.

Poppy couldn't help chuckling at their antics. _'They're really funny,'_ she thought and told the Potions Master as much, when he came to her office after lunch to receive the list of potions that she needed.

"They're also very adept at Potions," Severus informed her. "They did not only receive Os in their OWLs, but they're good brewers." He even accepted her suggestion to make them brew the easiest three potions from her list during their afternoon's detention.

HP

All of a sudden, Dolores entered the hospital wing. _'Oh no, what does that bitch want now?' _Poppy thought, terrified, as she absolutely despised the woman. Hearing the professor complain about a headache, she quickly cast a diagnostic spell, inwardly groaning upon realising that the teacher had a concussion, so that she had to keep her in the hospital wing.

Poppy let out a relieved sigh, when the Defence professor insisted to return to her own rooms, after she and Severus had stood up against her obviously false accusation that Harry Potter had made her stumble. _'What a bitch,'_ she thought. _'Even if Severus had not known that Harry was in the Great Hall helping Minerva with the Christmas tree, I wouldn't have believed that he did that to her.'_

Seeing the Potions Master observe her in clear amusement, she knew that he was nursing exactly the same thoughts. "What a bitch," she said aloud, causing him to give her a sharp nod.

HP

It was an hour later, when Poppy was just enjoying the peace and quiet, busying herself with her patients' cards again, that Sybil Trelawney entered the hospital wing - another person who never willingly set a foot into her domain.

"Sybil," Poppy spoke up in surprise. "Did something happen?"

"Yes," the Divination professor replied and told her about a prophecy along with the plead to keep Severus in the hospital wing over Christmas Day.

"I'm sorry, Sybil, but I can't keep people here without reason," she refused in a firm voice and sent the professor to the headmaster.

HP

Poppy inwardly sighed in relief, when she made her way to Minerva's quarters after dinner, where she, Minerva and Rolanda intended to spend the rest of the evening in their feline forms. Finally, she could relax and could be sure that no one would disturb the friends for the time being.

When Rolanda suggested to Minerva to choose Christmas presents for very special colleagues from the cat litter box in the bathroom, Poppy could not help chuckling. _'How true,_' she thought, _'especially for Dolores and Sybil.'_ She knew better than to voice her opinion in front of her too much energetic friend though, who might translate the idea into action.

_tbc..._

_Thank you all for your kind comments!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>12 December - Harry Potter<strong>

By the time Professor Umbridge dismissed Harry from his detention, Harry felt absolutely miserable_. 'Maybe Umbridge noticed that I wasn't feeling well and kept me extra long,'_ he thought, having unobtrusively observed the teacher grinning and smiling her false smile the whole evening as if she was in an especially good mood.

He slowly dragged himself back to Gryffindor, wondering what might be wrong with him. _'Maybe it's the flu,'_ he thought. _'I'll just try to sleep it off. At least I won't have detention with Umbridge for a few days.'_

When he entered the common room, he realised in surprise that Hermione was still waiting for him.

"Harry, you're late," Hermione stated the obvious. "I was just about to go to Professor McGonagall."

Harry merely stared at his friend, letting out a long sigh. "I go to bed," he finally spoke up. "Sorry Hermione. Good night."

"Harry, wait," Hermione suddenly said, giving him a sharp look. "You don't look well."

"Not feeling well," Harry admitted, uncharacteristically slurring the words.

Within an instant, Hermione crossed the room and placed a cold, slender hand on Harry's forehead. "That's it," she decided, reproachfully. "I'm going to take you to the hospital wing."

"No," Harry moaned. "I don't have the energy to walk that far. I'm just going to sleep it off."

"Then I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey here," Hermione replied in determination. "You're ill with a high fever."

Knowing that his best friend would not give in, Harry grudgingly followed the girl to the hospital wing. However, luck was not on their side this early on Christmas day.

"Oh no," Hermione groaned upon noticing a parchment that was put up on the door.

_'If you need my help, you'll find me in Professor McGonagall's rooms. P. Pomfrey.'_

Together the two friends returned to the common room, and Hermione instructed Harry to go to bed and informed him, "I'll call Madam Pomfrey here."

"No, leave her in peace, when she's having Christmas Eve together with McGonagall and probably Hooch," Harry replied, tiredly. "I'll go to see her in the morning if necessary."

Unfortunately, during the night, his condition worsened immensely, and at seven o'clock in the morning, after taking Harry's temperature with a magical thermometer that displayed 41.3 degrees, Hermione hurried to her head of house's private quarters.

12月25日・クリスマス

It took quite a while, before McGonagall finally opened her door, looking very sleepy.

"I'm very sorry to disturb you at this time of the morning," Hermione apologized, before she alerted the professor of Harry's condition.

"Oh Merlin," McGonagall replied in clear shock. "I'll send Madam Pomfrey over in a minute."

12月25日・クリスマス

If Harry had not noticed that Hermione had vanished from his side, he did not realise either that his head of house along with the healer joined him nor did he feel the tingling sensation when Pomfrey waved his wand over him a few times. Everything just seemed blurry, and hot, and hurt. However, he suddenly felt ice cold and wearily noticed that he found himself in a bathtub. _'Am I delirious?'_ he wondered, however, felt too miserable to think about it. Nothing mattered anymore, and Pomfrey would know what she was doing anyway.

Suddenly, his mind cleared up a little, and he heard Pomfrey say, "We need Severus to check his blood. I believe that it might be poison."

"Shall I call him?" Harry heard McGonagall ask.

"No, I'm going to take a few drops of blood and will take them to Severus," Pomfrey replied, urgently. "You stay here and keep him cool."

Harry barely noticed that Pomfrey magically took three drops of blood from his elbow and was just about to drift off to sleep, when he heard Hermione whisper in a strange voice, "Please be all right Harry, that's my only wish for Christmas. I love you."

Harry wanted to reassure her that he was going to be fine and that he loved her as well, however, he could not muster the energy and drifted off into an exhausted slumber.

When he woke up the next time, he found himself in a bathtub once more. Pomfrey was standing next to him, pointing her wand at his head, while Hermione was sobbing into McGonagall's shoulder.

_'Am I going to die?'_ Harry wondered, shivering violently.

All of a sudden, the headmaster entered the room, wearing a grave expression. "It's basilisk poisoning," he informed his colleagues. "Severus was just half finished brewing the antidote, when Voldemort called him. He told me that he'd inform Voldemort that he'd have to return here as soon as possible for some reason, so that he'll be able to finish the antidote soon. Thank Merlin Harry gave him the ingredients yesterday. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have basilisk venom to brew the antidote."

"Albus, will he be back on time?" McGonagall asked, worriedly. "This is life threatening."

"Professors, please may I try to finish the potion?" Hermione threw in, panicking.

However, before she was able to convince the adults, Snape strode into the room, carrying a small phial, of which he spelled the content into Harry's system right away. "He might need another dose later on," he informed the healer. "I'll be back in two hours' time," he promised, before he left the dormitory, mumbling something like "Have to take care of the Dark Lord first."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews. Have a nice weekend!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>13 December - Poppy Pomfrey <strong>

Poppy was still peacefully asleep in her feline form in front of Minerva's fireplace, where Minnie, Rolanda and she had been sleeping and cuddling the whole night, when she suddenly felt someone shake her back.

"Poppy, you must get up quickly. Harry has a very high fever," Minerva's voice penetrated her sleepy brain.

Immediately turning into healer's mode, Poppy quickly dashed away, knowing that she was faster in her feline than in her human form. Only when she reached the Gryffindor common room, closely followed by Minerva, did she change back and hurried into the fifth year boys' dormitory, pulling her wand as she went.

The first spell told her that the boy's fever was life threatening high, so that she transfigured the bed into a bathtub, pointing her wand at Harry's head to check his temperature every few seconds. Finally, she transfigured the bathtub back into a bed, thinking, _'surely not the last time today,'_ before she could finally concentrate on casting diagnostic spells.

However, no result came up even after casting a series of spells, making Poppy believe that the boy had been poisoned. "I think it might be poisoning," she spoke up, thoughtfully, readying herself to take a few drops of blood from the fifth-year. Instructing her friend to keep the boy cool, she hurried towards the dungeons to urgently make Severus check the blood and if possible brew the antidote.

"I can tell you now what it is," Severus growled, rolling his eyes in apparent annoyance. "The boy went into the Chamber of Secrets and harvested the basilisk. I'm sure he wasn't intelligent enough to wear protective gloves, so that his blood somehow came into contact with basilisk poison."

Poppy stared at her youngest colleague in shock. "How would it get into his bloodstream though?" she enquired, pensively.

"It doesn't need more than a small, open scratch in his skin," the Potions Master replied, before he strode into his lab to tend to the task ahead.

_'That sounds plausible,'_ Poppy thought, as she made her way back to Gryffindor in determination.

"Mr. Potter," she addressed the boy, as soon as she entered the dormitory. "Do you have any open wounds on your hands or arms that might have come into contact with basilisk venom?"

Harry blearily opened his eyes. "No, I don't think so," he replied, lazily.

"No," Hermione contradicted in a firm voice. "Please check his left hand. He has a huge wound," she informed the healer, who carefully took the boy's left hand into her own.

"Where did he get this?" she enquired, staring at the writing on Harry's hand in disbelief.

"I must not tell lies," Minerva deciphered.

"From Professor Umbridge's detentions," Hermione said, grimly.

"She makes him use a blood quill!" Minerva was the first to react, seeming to be as horrified as herself.

"I shall inform the Ministry about this, as soon as Severus comes with the antidote," Poppy decided, shaking her head in annoyance.

_'I could ask Albus to speak with Fudge,'_ she thought, while she pointed her wand at Harry's head once a minute. However, she dare not leave the boy, fearing that she'd have to transfigure his bed to a bathtub again.

While she was still considering the matter, the headmaster himself came to the dormitory to inform them that it would take the Potions Master longer to brew the antidote, so that Poppy could use the opportunity to inform him about the matter with the blood quill.

It seemed to take an infinite time, before Severus finally strode into the room, carrying a small phial. Poppy realised in relief that the boy's condition stabilized as soon as Severus spelled the antidote into his system. _'Thank Merlin,'_ she thought, looking up in disbelief when the Potions Master mumbled something about having to look after the Dark Lord.

12月25日・クリスマス

To her relief, Harry's condition improved greatly, and Poppy decided that he was stable enough for her to take Neville to the hospital. _'We should just have enough time to go and come back before lunch,'_ she thought. She left the dormitory and spoke with the boy, who was sitting in the common room together with the Weasley twins.

Neville profusely thanked her, when they made their way to her office in order to take the Floo to St. Mungo's.

By the time they reached the hospital wing, one of the school owls was waiting for her in front of the window, and Poppy quickly took the parchment from the owl, wondering who might send her a school owl on Christmas day.

_'What?'_ she realised in shock. _'I'm on probation? Oh Merlin, I hope that the Minister will put Umbridge into Azkaban for making Harry use a blood quill. That bitch really deserves it.'_ Although she could barely wait to speak with Minerva and Albus about the matter, she did not want to disappoint Neville and quickly put the parchment onto her table.

"Let's go," she said, lightly, and ushered the boy towards the fireplace.

"Excuse me, Madame," he suddenly spoke up, seemingly hesitating, "I don't wish to visit my grandmother today, only my parents please."

Poppy cast the boy a surprised look, however, immediately gave in to his wishes and led him straight to the long-time ward of the hospital, where she informed the healers that she was accompanying Neville this time and that he wished to see his parents.

12月25日・クリスマス

Poppy inwardly sighed in relief, when they were back in her office an hour later. "Mr. Longbottom, lunch will already be over by now. Please go to the kitchen and get something to eat," she instructed the boy, noticing in relief that he left immediately after once again thanking her for giving him the opportunity to visit his parents.

Without even further considering the matter, Poppy grabbed the parchment that she had received earlier from her desk and stepped into the fireplace, shouting, "Minerva McGonagall's quarters."

12月25日・クリスマス

"Poppy, what happened?" Minerva asked immediately, apparently noticing how agitated she was. "Has Harry's condition worsened?"

"I haven't even checked on him yet," Poppy admitted, inwardly scolding herself for being so neglecting.

"Was something wrong with Neville's visit to his parents?" Minerva queried, eyeing her in apparent concern.

"No, except for the fact that he didn't want to visit Augusta," Poppy replied, sighing.

"Oh well, that's understandable," Minerva muttered, seemingly more to herself than to Poppy, before she asked in a stern voice, "What's wrong then? You seem not yourself, Poppy."

"I received this," Poppy informed Minerva and held out the parchment to her best friend, feeling tears well in her eyes.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for your kind comments!_


	14. Chapter 14

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>14 December - Tom Marvolo Riddle<strong>

When Tom woke up in the morning, he felt worse than he could remember having felt ever before. His whole body was sore, his ears felt as if they were filled with cotton wool, and he felt hot and cold at the same time. As soon as he tried to sit up, his bedroom began to shift and turn around in front of his eyes, making him lie down and close his eyes quickly.

_'It must be the fault of that stupid Muggle orphanage,'_ he thought. _'The Muggles must have infested me with some Muggle illness. I just hope Malfoy and Bella will come quickly. Even if they can't help me, stupid as they are, I'll at least be able to call Severus using the mark on one of their arms.'_

Unable to drag himself out of bed, he just remained in bed, moaning, and waited for his two most trusted followers to come and help him, so that he'd feel better quickly in order to go and burn down the stupid orphanage. _'A day like this, Christmas Day, is predestined to do something extraordinary,'_ he thought, letting out a series of harsh coughs.

12月25日・クリスマス

To Tom it seemed like an infinite time before Malfoy and Bella finally showed up.

"Oh my Lord, you don't look any better than yesterday," Bella said, groaning, causing Tom to become very upset.

"I feel horrible, but you should know better than to tell me I wasn't looking good," he croaked.

"Oh I am so sorry, my Lord, I didn't mean it that way at all," Bella replied in a soft voice. "But you seem very ill today." She pulled a glassy stick out of her robe pocket and held it out to Tom, who merely gave her a questioning look but did not reach out for the item.

"What is it?" Tom asked, weakly.

"It's a thermometer," Bella explained, patiently. "We need to take your temperature to assess what might be ailing you, my Lord."

As soon as Tom opened his mouth to reply, she stuck the icy stick into his mouth and instructed him to keep it under his tongue.

_'Why do I have to use such an annoying Muggle device?'_ Tom thought, upset, shivering violently, as the cold stick touched his mouth. After what seemed to be an infinity, the device beeped and Bella finally took it out.

To Tom's annoyance, she let out a loud gasp. "Oh Merlin, you have a very high fever," she blurted out, showing the device to Malfoy.

"My Lord, I suggest that you call Severus Snape," Malfoy spoke up. "He'll be able to assess what's wrong and brew the needed potions for you."

"Then call him already," Tom growled, impatiently pressing the Dark Mark on Malfoy's arm to call the Potions Master.

"I hope he'll come quickly. I really want to go and burn down the orphanage," Tom croaked and let out a few harsh coughs, unaware of the pointed look that his most trusted followers exchanged.

Unfortunately, it took about thirty minutes, before the Potions Master strode into the room, bowing in front of Tom. "My Lord," he greeted him, before he acknowledged the presence of the other Death Eaters with a small nod.

"I'm ill," Tom informed him and demanded, "Heal me."

"Please allow me to cast a diagnostic spell," Snape replied, nonchalantly, pulling his wand.

"Very well," Tom replied, shivering.

_'I hate finding myself at wand point,'_ he thought. However, he was feeling miserable enough to allow the Potions Master to do what he deemed right.

"My Lord, you caught the Wizard's flu," Snape spoke up after casting two different spells. "I must return to Hogwarts and fetch the potion from my lab," he explained, adding, "I should be back in about thirty minutes."

"Hurry," Tom said in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

"Try to sleep for a while," Bella advised him in a gentle voice, carefully wiping his flushed face with a cold cloth.

"Feels good," Tom mumbled, moaning as he tried to relax and get warm under his covers.

"How long before Snape will be back?" he asked after a few minutes.

"About twenty-five more minutes," Malfoy replied, glancing at his wrist watch.

"About twenty more minutes," Bella informed him when he asked the next time.

Tom had to ask another four or five more times, before Snape finally returned to Riddle Manor, carrying a small phial.

Tom's main rule was always to never fully trust anyone. Even when he felt as if he was close to dying, he instructed the Potions Master, "You take a sip first, and hurry up." Contentedly observing how the professor took a small sip, he reached out for the phial and gulped it down, spitting out the last few drops upon noticing the foul taste.

"That was gross," he complained.

"But it'll help, my Lord," Snape replied in a gentle voice. "I'll take about thirty minutes until you'll feel the effect."

"Very well. Invent something better and faster before I'll catch the flu the next time," Tom instructed him, grumpily, and dismissed the Potions Master, who immediately left the room, his expression void of any emotion.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for your kind comments! See you tomorrow..._


	15. Chapter 15

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>15 December - Argus Filch<strong>

Argus left his rooms an hour before breakfast in order to make sure that the halls were clean and that the Great Hall was properly decorated for Christmas day. However, he had barely closed his office door and stepped out into the hall, when Umbridge, his most hated colleague, cornered him.

"Ah Mr. Filch, there you are," Umbridge addressed him in her false, sweet voice. "I was looking for you."

"What can I do for you, Professor?" Argus queried, inwardly groaning, as the professor in her pink robes really grated on his nerves.

"Let's have some tea together," Umbridge replied, almost pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I need to clean the halls and check the Great Hall," Argus politely refused, only to add, "Breakfast is going to commence in forty-five minutes."

"But I love you and want to spend Christmas day together with you," the professor insisted.

Argus' eyes widened at the revelation. _'Someone must have slipped her a love potion,'_ he realised. _'There's no other way that she'd tell me such a thing.'_ He grumpily suggested to the professor that she should go and see the Potions Master to get the antidote for the prank that someone had to have played at her.

"I'll do that, but I'll see you at breakfast, and maybe we can spend some time together afterwards," Umbridge replied, making Argus wonder if the professor had even comprehended what he was implying.

Before Umbridge could say anything else, Argus returned into his office and further into his private quarters, resolving to not leave his quarters anymore on this Christmas day.

12月25日・クリスマス

He let himself sink into his favourite armchair, smiling when Mrs. Norris chose to climb onto his chest a mere instant later.

"I don't love anyone but you," he whispered to his feline companion, gently petting her soft fur.

While he cuddled with his familiar, his thoughts wandered back to the time, when he was still friends with the real Ms. Norris.

Her name was Nana Norris, and she was the prettiest and nicest girl in Argus' primary school. The two of them were inseparable from the first day of school onwards. However, their friendship ended abruptly, when Nana and Argus were eleven. When Argus received his Hogwarts letter, he was delighted. However, the thought of Nana made him wonder if he should accept the invitation or if he should continue going to school with her. One day, he simply showed her the letter and asked her if she could advise him what he should do.

However, her reaction was different from anything that he could have imagined in his wildest dreams. She was appalled by the fact that he was a wizard and frankly told him that she wanted to have nothing to do with him anymore.

From that day onwards, Nana completely ignored him and never spoke to him ever again. However, even at Hogwarts, Argus was unable to forget the beautiful girl.

Shortly after he finished Hogwarts, still grieving about the loss of his best childhood friend, he applied for a position at the Department of Magical Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, only to be sent to Hogwarts as a caretaker under a false surname and the condition that he used his shape-shifting abilities, never showed his real self at Hogwarts and pretended to be a Squib.

Deciding that a cat was an adequate familiar for a caretaker, Argus bought his feline familiar, whom he named after his lost love, Mrs. Norris, and even when his first cat died at the age of sixteen years and he bought another kitten, he called it Mrs. Norris.

It was already twenty years since Argus had come to work at Hogwarts for the Department of Magical Mysteries, however, he was doing his job very well. So far, neither the headmaster nor any of the professors or students had ever doubted his identity. The only person at Hogwarts knowing that he was not a Squib but a powerful wizard was the healer, Poppy Pomfrey, and she was keeping his secret well.

_'I'll see to it that Umbridge won't be at Hogwarts much longer,'_ he resolved. _'I wonder if she's a witch at all and not a Squib,' _he thought, having observed the professor and read a couple of important documents in her office during the last few weeks. _'In any case, the use of the blood quill on her students should warrant for a one-way ticket to Azkaban.'_ Taking a small parchment from a pile of parchments, he scribbled a note for the Department of Mysteries, before he called his raven, Abacus, and instructed him to take his letter to his employer at the Ministry of Magic.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! See you tomorrow with Neville..._


	16. Chapter 16

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>16 December - Neville Longbottom<strong>

When Neville woke up in the morning by a commotion going on around Harry's bed, his first thought was _'Where's Trevor?'_ However, to his relief, the toad was peacefully asleep right next to his pillow, making the boy smile, happily. _'Today, I can finally speak with him,'_ he realised. _'That's the best Christmas present ever.'_

Suddenly getting worried about Harry, he pushed all thoughts about his toad form from his mind and scrambled out of bed to ask Hermione, who was sitting on Ron's bed together with Professor McGonagall, watching what Madam Pomfrey was doing at Harry's bedside.

"What happened?" Neville whispered in concern.

"Harry's in a critical condition," Hermione whispered back. "He seems to have been poisoned."

"Oh Merlin, I hope he'll be all right," Neville stammered, horrified. Knowing that he was neither able to do anything for his friend, nor wanting to disturb the others, he quietly took Trevor into his hands and headed down to the common room, where he gently placed the toad onto the floor, before he changed into his Animagus form.

=Hi Trevor,= he greeted his familiar, who gave him an enthusiastic look in return.

=Hello Neville,= Trevor replied. =I'm so happy to be able to speak with you,= he then continued. =I need you to translate for me and Professor McGonagall. I need her help.=

=What is it?= Neville asked, curiously.

=I'm not a real toad,= Trevor admitted, causing Neville to stare at the animal in disbelief.

=I'm your grandfather Robbie. Augusta, your grandmother transfigured me into this form many years ago, and I just can't manage to change back. In fact, I've been trying to attract McGonagall's attention multiple times, but since I didn't have a way to communicate with her, she couldn't understand what I wanted.=

=You're my grandfather?= Neville queried with a combination of disbelief and hope. =That's to cool to be true,= he added in a small voice.

=Oh just wait until I get back at that bitch,= Trevor replied, sounding very angry. =Yes, I'm happy that I could stay at Hogwarts together with you, but nevertheless, she stole the best years of my life from me.= He slowly trailed off.

=Granddad,= Neville replied, slowly, =If there's anything I can do to help you, I'll do so. McGonagall is just keeping Harry company, because he's in a dangerous condition, but as soon as she'll be free, I'll tell her about it and ask her to transfigure you back. That's the best Christmas present ever.=

=For me too,= Trevor agreed.

To Neville's disappointment and concern, McGonagall did not leave the dormitory during the whole morning. Only Pomfrey rushed out and in again a few times, the headmaster came and left again, and even Professor Snape crossed the common room twice, mumbling something like "Toads leading a dangerous life sitting on the floor right in the way between the portrait hole and the staircases leading to the dormitories."

When the headmaster returned from the dormitory, Neville quickly changed back into his human form and told the old wizard about his grandfather's predicament.

"Is that so?" Dumbledore queried in apparent surprise and, seeing Neville and the toad nod eagerly, decided, "Let's ask Professor McGonagall to transform him back. I'll inform her as soon as she'll be available." Turning to the toad, he added, "Mr. Longbottom, please remain here in the common room until further notice, so that Professor McGonagall can easily find you."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Neville replied, wondering why the headmaster did not help his grandfather himself, as he made himself comfortable on the sofa in front of the fireplace, where the Weasley twins were examining a huge package.

12月25日・クリスマス

All of a sudden, Pomfrey came over to him. "Mr. Longbottom," she said in a gentle voice. "Mr. Potter is stable now, and I have time to take you to the hospital. If we leave right away, we should be back by lunchtime."

Neville looked up in surprise. "Thank you so very much for doing this for me," he replied, giving the healer a grateful look. He hurried to the hospital wing behind the healer, wondering if he wanted to see his grandmother at all. _'No, I don't. If I met her today, I'd fight with her about what she did to Granddad.'_

"Excuse me, Madame," he spoke up in determination, right before the healer was about to step into the fireplace. "I don't want to visit my Granny today, only my parents, please."

"Then we'll only visit your parents," Pomfrey replied in a soft voice, giving Neville a reassuring look.

Like every Christmas, he visited his parents, torn between happiness to see them and disappointment because they did not recognise them. However, he felt relieved when they returned to Hogwarts, having seen his parents again after another year. _'I wished Professor Snape or someone could come up with a cure for them,'_ he thought. _'If I wasn't so bad at Potions, I'd become a Potions Master and try to invent a cure.'_

Back at Hogwarts, Pomfrey instructed him to go to the kitchen and get something to eat, and somehow feeling famished after all the excitement of the morning, Neville obeyed. Only after eating a large helping of the delicacies that the kitchen elves placed in front of him, he returned to the common room to look for Trevor and take him to his head of house.

However, when he entered the common room, it was deserted. _'Of course Trevor has left,'_ Neville realised, shaking his head in annoyance. _'If he was as disobedient at home, I can well imagine why Granny transfigured him into a toad.'_ Sighing, he headed to the dormitory to check on Harry, relieved when Hermione told him that he was all right and only sleeping now.

"Thank Merlin," Neville replied, smiling. "You haven't seen Trevor by chance, have you?" he asked, just to make sure, before he headed to McGonagall's office, deciding to speak with the professor, so that she'd already be informed when Trevor chose to return.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! More tomorrow with Umbridge..._


	17. Chapter 17

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>17 December - Dolores Umbridge<strong>

When Dolores woke up in the morning, she somehow felt tired. _'Oh well, I had to oversee that Potter boy's detention until after midnight,'_ she recalled, as she got up and readied herself for the day.

While she took a shower, her thoughts kept wandering to Argus Filch. _'I love him,'_ she thought. _'He doesn't have more magic than I, he always does what I want without questioning me, and he's so nice. I need to go and tell him that I love him.'_

In spite of the fact that it was still early, she headed towards the entrance hall, glad that for once no toads or cats were roaming the halls. She lingered in the entrance hall and the adjacent corridors for a while, hoping that Mr. Filch would come out of his office soon. Of course, she could always go and visit him in his office, however, on this morning, she was unable to come up with a valid reason. _'There's no new school rule,'_ she mused, _'and I can't announce myself the headmistress - not yet.'_

Finally, Filch came out of his office and greeted her as friendly as always. Unfortunately, he refused her offer to join her for tea, as he was busy with the preparations for Christmas day. _'I've already done mine,'_ Dolores thought, inwardly grinning. After a few minutes, Filch suggested that she should go to see Professor Snape for a potion, before he excused himself and returned into his office.

_'He must be very observing,'_ Dolores thought, feeling even more attracted to the caretaker. _'Or is it so obvious that I still have a headache from the concussion?'_ Seeing that she had still more than thirty minutes before breakfast was going to commence, _'the most pleasant breakfast that I can imagine,' _she decided to seek out Madam Pomfrey to receive another potion. Only on the way to the hospital wing did she recall that there was indeed a new rule, the one concerning the abolishment of Quidditch. _'Oh well, that gives me the opportunity to speak with Filch again later on,'_ she consoled herself.

She was taken aback upon realising that a parchment was put up at the door to the hospital wing, stating that Pomfrey could be reached through the deputy headmistress. _'What?'_ she thought in disbelief. _'Breakfast is going to begin soon, and she's still not in the hospital wing working yet? It was a good thing to put her on probation.'_

Feeling very contented with herself and the Christmas presents that she had sent out for some of her colleagues, she headed to the Great Hall and made herself comfortable at the breakfast table, waiting for the events to occur. _'I can't wait to see everyone's reaction when they receive my letters,'_ she thought, grinning in anticipation.

However, to her immense disappointment, more than half of her colleagues and most of the students missed breakfast. Only Professors Sprout and Flitwick as well as Madam Hooch and the Weasley twins showed up for the meal, and to enlarge her disappointment even more, Madam Hooch did not even bother to read her letters, among which was her probation notice, in front of everyone else. _'I wonder where Hagrid, Pomfrey, Snape, McGonagall, Trelawney and the headmaster are,'_ she thought, angrily. _'They all should be forced to attend Christmas breakfast. Not even Filch is here, and I had hoped so much to be able to spend the day with him.'_

Feeling very disappointed about the caretaker's absence and upset upon noticing that everyone around her was engrossed in pleasant conversations, seemingly enjoying themselves, she hurriedly finished her breakfast. Grimacing at the discussion about prank potions that Professor Flitwick led with the Weasley twins, she swiftly left the Great Hall.

_'Hopefully, lunch will be better,'_ she tried to console herself. _'By then everyone must have received my letters, no matter where they are.'_

She returned to her private quarters and made herself comfortable on the pink sofa, resolving to try sleeping off her headache. To her annoyance, all of her dreams revolved around one Argus Filch, who was just at this moment sending his raven to the Ministry of Magic with a letter on her behalf.

12月25日・クリスマス

By lunchtime, she felt well rested and tip-toed to the Great Hall in excitement, eager to see and hear her colleagues' reactions to her Christmas gifts. However, apart from the participants of breakfast, only the headmaster and Professor Snape were present, who were deeply engrossed in a conversation, to which she was not able to listen in, probably due to a silencing spell.

_'I wonder what's up today,'_ she thought, feeling once again extremely disappointed to not be able to bathe in her colleagues' misery.

She had just begun to eat her lunch, like everyone else, when all of a sudden, two Aurors stepped out of the fireplace and strode towards the table.

"Dolores Umbridge," one of them had the gall to address her in the middle of her meal. "We have orders to question you under Veritaserum instantly."

"Why might that be?" Dolores queried, surprised that the headmaster did not speak up to save her from the Aurors. _'Oh well, he must have received my probation letter,'_ she realised, inwardly groaning.

"Because of using a blood quill on at least one student," Auror Tonks replied in a firm voice and motioned her colleague to administer three drops of Veritaserum.

Dolores tried to defend herself, however, without any success. Like from far away, she heard the Weasley twins mumble something about "The necessity of actually practising Defence spells".

"What's your name?"

"When was your birthday?" the Aurors began to question her, not caring that everyone else was listening in.

Dolores could not help it. Her answers came automatically. She admitted to everyone present that she had used a blood quill on Harry Potter and two other students and that she was teaching only theoretical knowledge because her magic barely exceeded that of a Squib, but that she was not a Squib but a witch.

"Good to know that," one of the Aurors said, dryly. "If you were a Squib, we couldn't put you into Azkaban."

Dolores' eyes widened in shock. However, she did not even have time to protest, before Auror Shacklebolt took her to the wizarding prison by Portkey. Mere ten minutes later, she found herself in a small cell.

"Mr. Shacklebolt," she spoke up, trying to keep her voice firm. "It's too cold here, and there isn't even a Christmas tree. Please bring me my cat plates from my office and bring Argus Filch with you, when you come back. I can't live without him. I love him."

"We'll see," Shacklebolt replied, coldly, suggesting that she should cuddle with a Dementor for the time being, before he cast a sleeping spell at the witch in pink robes.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	18. Chapter 18

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>18 December - Minerva McGonagall<strong>

"Can this Christmas Day even become crazier?" Minerva wondered, when she returned to her quarters after spending the whole morning in the fifth year boys' dormitory, where Harry had been fighting for his life.

"Contact the headmaster immediately," Godric Gryffindor instructed her from his portrait, before allowing her into her own rooms.

"And why might that be?" Minerva queried. "I'm going to see him at lunch in a few minutes anyway."

"No, you must contact him beforehand," Godric insisted, causing Minerva to inwardly groan.

She headed straight to the fireplace and called her old friend and colleague. "Albus, what is so urgent?" she asked, impatiently.

"Go to the Gryffindor common room, capture Mr. Longbottom's toad, take him into your office and transfigure him into his human form," the headmaster instructed her with a twinkle in his eyes that usually annoyed her very much.

"Albus, are you feeling all right?" Minerva queried in disbelief, giving her friend a concerned look.

"Wonderful," the old wizard replied. "I'm going to see you at lunch."

Minerva stepped away from the fireplace, shaking her head in annoyance. _'Albus, if that's a prank now, I'm going to send the Weasley twins after you. I'll even award them house points for pranking you,'_ she thought, as she made her way into the Gryffindor common room. _'And how am I supposed to find that toad?'_ she wondered, knowing that Neville used to spend a considerable amount of time searching for the object of interest.

12月25日・クリスマス

To her surprise, the toad showed up right in front of her, as soon as she stepped through the portrait hole. She carefully picked him up and carried him into her office. Exhausted from the morning's occurrences and too annoyed to do as much as warn the toad, she merely pointed her wand at the small animal and cast the spell that would transfigure him back into his human form, provided that he had one.

"Robbie?" she blurted out an instant later, staring at the wizard in front of her in disbelief.

"Yes Minnie, I'm your old friend Robbie," Robbie replied, letting out a relieved sigh. "Thank you so much for helping me back into my human form. That was Augusta, the bitch."

"And then she told everyone that you had vanished," Minerva added in disbelief. She gently hugged her classmate. "I'm glad to have you back after all these years. Are you completely unharmed?"

"I'm fine," Robbie replied, smiling. "I'm only very tired. Ever since Neville told me last night that he was able to speak with me, I was much too excited to sleep."

Minerva smiled. "If you wish, you could use my guest room to get some sleep, take a shower and spend as much time as you need to get used to being in your human form again."

Her old friend gratefully accepted her offer and retreated to her guest room, where her personal house-elf, Malcolm, would see to all his needs.

_'It's too late to attend lunch,'_ Minerva realised, as she returned to the living room, casting a look at the clock on the mantelpiece. _'Never mind, I can use some peace and quiet, too._'

She made herself comfortable on the sofa with the book that she had received from Hermione Granger for Christmas and began to read. However, her rest should not remain undisturbed for long.

12月25日・クリスマス

Just a few minutes later, Poppy stepped out of the fireplace, holding out a parchment. "That bitch put me on probation, Minnie," she blurted out, seeming uncharacteristically agitated.

"Let me speak with Albus about that, if he's back from lunch already," Minerva replied in determination and once again called the headmaster.

"Let me come over," Albus demanded and, as soon as Minerva had moved out of the way, stepped out of the fireplace.

"I have great news," he announced and told the two witches about the occurrences at lunch in the Great Hall. "Poppy, you're not the only one who received such a letter. Rolanda Hooch and I got one as well, and Hagrid and Sybil were fired instantly. I've just informed everyone that all these letters are void."

"Ah thank Merlin," Poppy blurted out in apparent relief, causing Minerva to smile and pull her best friend into a bear's hug.

"If someone got rid of you, they'd miss me too, as I wouldn't remain here without you," she said, grinning. "But having Dolores sent to Azkaban is the best that could happen," she added, joyfully. "The best Christmas present ever."

"Do you have any idea who might have alerted the Aurors?" Albus suddenly spoke up, giving the two ladies questioning looks.

"No idea Albus, but I'm glad they did, as I wanted to do that but didn't get around to it yet," Poppy replied, grinning at the headmaster.

"I don't have a clue either, but it's good riddance," Minerva agreed, just when Robbie stepped into the room.

"Robbie," Minerva immediately addressed the wizard. "Would you perhaps like to become our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor? I just heard that our former teacher ended up in Azkaban."

"Umbitch? Is she gone?" Robbie asked in apparent delight. "Thank Merlin. She was awful, making Harry use a blood quill at the time. Oh, and yes, I'd love to become the new Defence professor. As soon as I've managed sending my divorce note to the Ministry of Magic to get rid of Augusta, I'll be ready to join the Hogwarts staff."

"This is definitely the most exciting Christmas day ever," Minerva spoke up, tiredly smiling at her friends.

"Oh my dear," Albus threw in, "it'll get even more interesting. Please see to it that you don't miss Christmas dinner tonight. We're going to have a huge party tonight."

"We won't forget," Minerva promised, rolling her eyes in annoyance at the headmaster's apparent secrecy.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	19. Chapter 19

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>19 December - Fred and George Weasley<strong>

Inwardly chuckling, the twins observed, hidden under Harry's invisibility cloak, how Umbridge roamed the entrance hall and finally cornered Mr. Filch, as soon as he left his office early in the morning.

"It worked," Fred whispered to George, and the twins listened to the two adults' conversation with amusement.

"That serves her right," George whispered back, when the witch in the pink robes tiptoed back to her own rooms in clear disappointment.

12月25日・クリスマス

After conferring about what mischief they could do to make Christmas day at Hogwarts any more intriguing, the twins headed to breakfast, where they had an interesting conversation with Professor Flitwick. It was the professor who addressed the twins, knowing that the boys were very good at brewing and loved to brew prank potions. However, when he asked them if they knew how to charm a potion in order to make it continuous or give it other side effects that could not be achieved by a variation of the potion, the twins stared at him in surprise.

"Oh Professor..."

"... please show us how to do such a thing," they immediately begged the Ravenclaw head.

"Very well, come to my office this afternoon," Flitwick replied, gently, chuckling in anticipation.

"Thank Merlin that McGonagall wasn't at breakfast..."

"... she'd have killed us with her glare upon hearing our conversation with Flitwick," the twins chuckled on their way back to the Gryffindor common room, wondering where everyone else had been during breakfast.

12月25日・クリスマス

Hearing about Harry's problems on this Christmas morning, they were not exactly in the mood of playing pranks to anyone anymore, however, seeing a huge parcel from their brothers Bill and Charlie wait in front of the fireplace, their humour returned instantly.

They eagerly opened the present, which was full with joke items, prank suggestions and ingredients for possible prank potions.

"It's unbelievable..."

"... and from Bill and Charlie at that..."

"... definitely the best Christmas present of all," the twins blurted out, staring at each other in delight.

12月25日・クリスマス

They were still exploring their gift, when Neville joined them, looking at the items in their hands with interest.

"Once my granny is out of the hospital and back at home, I'd like to ask you for a prank that we can play on her," Neville suddenly spoke up, causing the twins to stare at their housemate in surprise.

"Neville..."

"... of course we're going to help you prank your granny, but..."

"... are you feeling all right?" they queried in concern, making Neville grimace.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you very much," he replied and told them what his grandmother had done to his grandfather, before he repeated the same, when the headmaster strode through the room.

"We'll think of something really good," they promised the younger boy, as soon as Dumbledore had left in apparent confusion.

_'He didn't even remember to offer us lemon drops,'_ they thought, grinning.

"What a crazy Christmas day," Fred spoke up, sighing, and everyone agreed full-heartedly.

12月25日・クリスマス

However, their day should even become more interesting. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves when Tonks and Shacklebolt appeared in the middle of lunch to arrest Professor Umbridge.

"Good riddance," they commented, simultaneously, when Shacklebolt left with a Portkey, having Umbridge's arm in a firm grip.

"I unconditionally agree," the headmaster replied, pleasantly. "And now let's enjoy our lunch." Glancing around the table, he added, "If anyone else has received probation or dismissal letters this morning, please note that all these letters have just lost their validity."

"I can't wait to inform Harry..."

"... he'll be delighted," the twins mumbled, before they hurriedly left the table, promising Professor Flitwick to be at his office in ten minutes. Inwardly grinning at the professor's disbelieving look, they left the hall and immediately after closing the doors transformed into their parrot Animagus forms.

Flying up to the common room, glad that the Fat Lady opened the portrait hole without having them transform into their human forms, they flew up right to the fifth year boys' dormitory, where they changed back and dashed into the room. Seeing that Harry was fast asleep, they told Hermione the good news, before they once again transformed and flew straight to the Charms professor's office.

"That was quick, Messrs. Weasley," Flitwick greeted them in surprise, only to add, "Are you capable of Apparating within Hogwarts?"

"No..."

"... we can fly," the twins replied, jokingly.

12月25日・クリスマス

During the following hours, the Charms professor taught the boys several charms, which they could apply to potions in order to duplicate or reverse effects or even repeat the effects at certain time intervals.

"Professor, could you please also teach us..."

"... how to apply different effects to a potion for each of the occupants of the head table?" the twins finally asked, after managing to asked each of the other charms flawlessly.

"Yes," the professor replied in apparent excitement. "This is more difficult though. Did you think of a specific potion?"

Exchanging a mischievous look, the twins hesitantly admitted to the professor what they had planned for Christmas dinner, and during the rest of the afternoon, Flitwick eagerly taught them how to charm their phial.

"You can already charm the phial now, even if you only add it to the drinks in a few hours' time," he told them, when he dismissed the delighted twins an hour before dinner.

Back in the common room, Fred and George diligently cast the charm at the large phial, before they called Dobby and asked him to put it into everyone's drink for Christmas dinner.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	20. Chapter 20

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>20 December - Hagrid<strong>

Very early on this Christmas morning, Hagrid went into the forest to pick up some selected pieces of wood. Although he already had a book about magical animals for Harry, after hearing of Severus' plan to give a griffin to the boy, he had decided to build a bed for it, which Harry could place next to his own bed.

While he stomped through the deep, fresh snow, his thoughts wandered back to the previous day, when he had accompanied Severus to the forest and had led him to the spot, where the griffin family had recently settled. _'Prob'ly to 'ave their little 'uns,'_ Hagrid thought, as he recalled how cute the five babies had been. Nevertheless, the parents had readily agreed to give one as a familiar to one very nice Gryffindor student at Hogwarts. _'Oh well, it certain 'elped that Severus transformed into 'is magical lynx form and that they were able to communicate proper like.'_

He mulled over the matter for a while, before he decided, _'If I'll ever be allowed to do magic 'gain, I'm going to study Animagus transformation. It'll be so cool if I could be talking with the beasts in the forest.'_

While he carried the wood to his hut, he kept pondering which animal form would be the best for him. _'An elephant would be fitting for my size, but would I be able to talk with them unicorns? Maybe an 'ippogriff would be good.'_ Finally, he decided to ask Severus and Albus for their advice, considering that they were both magical animals.

_'I wonder if the griffin will sleep in it at all,'_ he mused, while he eagerly constructed the bed, half magically, half manually, glancing at the animals at the other side of the hut. Fang, who was comfortably spread out in front of the fireplace, was gently accepting that the griffin that still was a baby wanted to cuddle by all means, even if it was with an old dog.

_'Cute,'_ Hagrid thought, chuckling. Completely engrossed in his work, he did not notice that it was time for breakfast and looked up in surprise, when a school owl suddenly knocked at his window. _'Usually, they come to the Great Hall,'_ he thought, only then realising that he had missed breakfast.

He impatiently set the letter aside, eager to finish the bed for the griffin. _'Now I still need something in it,'_ he thought and waved his wand-turned-umbrella at a tissue, glad when he managed to transfigure it into a soft cushion in Gryffindor colours. With another wave of his wand, he added a pattern of smaller and larger paws to it, thinking _'I 'ope 'arry'll like it.'_

12月25日・クリスマス

Subsequently, between feeding the baby griffin and Fang, he baked a huge amount of rock cakes to give to his colleagues, wondering when Severus was going to come and fetch the griffin.

Finally, there was a knock at the door, however, it was not the Potions Master. Instead, the headmaster was standing in front of the door.

"Ah Hagrid, I could use a good cup of tea," the old wizard greeted him as he stepped into the room.

Together, they enjoyed their tea along with some freshly baked rock cakes, before the headmaster finally asked, "Did you by chance receive a letter from Dolores Umbridge this morning?"

Hagrid looked at the headmaster in surprise, before he recalled that there had, indeed, been a letter. "I 'ave to look where I put it," he replied and went to search for the letter right away.

A few minutes later, he sat there, staring at the headmaster in shock. "I'm fired," he blurted out, great tears dripping from his eyes.

"No Hagrid, you're not," Dumbledore replied in a gentle voice and told him what had happened at lunchtime. "Dolores Umbridge is at Azkaban, and Auror Shacklebolt promised me that she was going to be kissed by a Dementor this afternoon. She sent similar letters to multiple staff members, however, they're all void."

"Thank Merlin," Hagrid breathed, giving the headmaster a grateful look, before he sat back and listened to all the other stories, which Dumbledore told him about what had happened during the first fourteen hours of this Christmas day.

12月25日・クリスマス

When the headmaster addressed the prospect of being cleared by the Ministry of Magic, Hagrid told him in excitement that for that case he had decided to practise becoming an Animagus.

"That's a wonderful idea," Dumbledore commended him and suggested, "Ask Severus to brew the Animagus potion for you. It won't be possible to freely choose the animal that you'll be able to become, but the potion will show you which animal you can try for. Sometimes, it even shows people multiple forms, so that they can choose from, however, you have to be really lucky for that.

When Severus showed up to fetch the griffin, the headmaster immediately asked him for the Animagus potion for Hagrid.

"I think I still have a few doses in stock," Severus replied and promised to fetch a large phial for Hagrid. Thirty minutes later, the Potions Master returned and handed Hagrid a phial, motioning him to make himself comfortable on the sofa before taking the potion.

12月25日・クリスマス

Under the watchful eyes of Severus and the headmaster, Hagrid gulped down the lime green potion. At first, nothing happened, and Hagrid almost thought that the potion would not work for him. However, all of a sudden, he felt his body shrink, his view expanded, and he felt himself very close to the floor.

_'What am I? A rat?'_ he wondered, horrified.

"You're a mouse," Dumbledore informed him, surprise written in his face.

"It's not just a normal mouse though," Severus added, pensively. "I believe that it's the form of a white feather mouse, which is a very rare, magical species."

A few minutes later, a very disappointed Hagrid automatically changed back into his half human form.

"'ow disappointing," he spoke up and explained the reason why he had wanted to become an Animagus.

The Potions Master smirked. "I suggest practising," he then said. "The white feather mouse if famous for its telepathic abilities. It's a very powerful mouse that's able to communicate with all kinds of other magical animals through telepathy."

"I'll help you practising," the headmaster promised, his eyes twinkling merrily, when he left together with Severus, after reminding Hagrid to not miss Christmas dinner.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	21. Chapter 21

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>21 December - Hermione Granger<strong>

Hermione was sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, observing her best friend sleep in concern. Shortly after the healer had announced that Harry was out of danger and would be all right after a few more hours of bed rest, Pomfrey and McGonagall had retreated from the dormitory.

_'I wonder where Neville is. I've barely seen him today,'_ she mused, as she gently bathed Harry's flushed face with a cool cloth.

All of a sudden, Neville stormed into the room, making Hermione roll her eyes in annoyance upon noticing that he was once again looking for Trevor.

"Trevor is my grandfather Robbie," he informed her, seemingly excited. "And I need to take him to Professor McGonagall, so that she can transfigure him back."

"Congratulations Neville," Hermione said, warmly. "That's really good news."

Having convinced himself that Trevor was not in the dormitory, Neville left again.

12月25日・クリスマス

"Wake up, Harry," Hermione thought, closely observing the boy. "Christmas Day without you is like a Quidditch match without a Snitch," she added, not even realising that she voiced her thoughts.

"What?" Harry asked, sleepily.

"Harry!" Hermione replied, happily. "Thank Merlin you're all right. I was so worried."

"What happened?" Harry asked in apparent confusion.

"You did something really stupid," Hermione replied, not even trying to hide her anger. "You went to harvest the basilisk without wearing as much as safety gloves, and some of the basilisk venom got into your bloodstream. You almost died of it."

"But I'm fine," Harry replied, gently reaching out to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Don't cry," he said in a soft voice. "Everything's all right."

However, Hermione could not hold the tears back. The whole situation had been too much of a shock for the girl. She allowed Harry to pull her close and sobbed into his shoulder, absentmindedly noticing that he gently caressed her cheeks.

"I better get up before McGonagall or Pomfrey come to check on you," she finally said and got up from Harry's bed. "Would you like to eat something?" she asked, suddenly noticing that she felt famished. _'Of course, I missed breakfast and lunch today,'_ she thought, surprised that she had not even thought about food until now.

"Maybe some hot cocoa," Harry suggested, and Hermione called Dobby to ask for cocoa and sandwiches, which arrived a mere instant later.

"Let's go down to the common room," Harry decided and crawled out of bed, throwing his robes over, and carried his cup along with the plate of sandwiches out of the dormitory, before Hermione could even think of an adequate reply.

"Madam Pomfrey won't be happy seeing you here," she said, when she made herself comfortable next to Harry on the sofa right in front of the fireplace.

"I'm fine now," Harry replied, lightly, and took a sip of his cocoa, before he set the cup aside and gave Hermione a strange look.

"What?" she asked, curiously, eyeing him in surprise.

"Would you perhaps like to become my girlfriend?" Harry asked, seemingly excited.

Hermione stared at her best friend in shock. _'That was sudden,'_ she thought, however, could not help feeling incredulously happy.

"I'd love to become your girlfriend," she replied, smiling.

Suddenly, she had the impression as if it stopped snowing and blue sky became visible around the heavy clouds outside the common room. _'He's going to become my boyfriend,'_ she thought, happily.

12月25日・クリスマス

All of a sudden, the headmaster's voice could be heard all over the school. "Dear colleagues and students, I wish that everyone - and I mean everyone - at Hogwarts attends Christmas dinner tonight. No exceptions. I have good news to share with you all and I wish you a very Merry Christmas."

Harry mumbled something sounding like "Annoying old coot," before he asked, "When is Christmas dinner going to begin?"

Hermione glanced at her wrist watch. "Christmas dinner will commence in one hour," she replied, giving Harry a sharp look. "Are you well enough to attend?"

"Of course," Harry replied. "Everyone has to attend anyway. I think I should go and take a shower first though. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'll go to my dormitory and open my Christmas presents in the meantime," Hermione replied and, seeing Harry nod in understanding, headed to the fifth year girls' dormitory. _'I've never been so late opening my presents,'_ she thought, as she engrossed herself in the books, which she had received from her parents and friends.

12月25日・クリスマス

Thirty minutes later, she returned to the common room, knowing that Harry should be finished with his shower. However, when she reached the last step of the staircase, she had the impression as if she stepped onto something soft that suddenly moved out of the way, causing her to fall down the last two steps.

_'These twins,'_ she thought, angrily, gratefully noticing that Harry gently helped her up from the floor. _'Can't they do anything but nonsense?_

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! See you tomorrow with Snape._


	22. Chapter 22

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>22 December - Severus Snape<strong>

If Severus had been looking forward to a quiet, peaceful Christmas, he noticed relatively early in the morning that he was sadly mistaken.

As early as seven o'clock, or maybe it was a few minutes later, when he sleepily crawled out of his comfortable, warm bed upon hearing someone urgently knock at the door to his private quarters, Poppy paid him a visit.

Realising from his friend's expression that this was not a social visit, he quirked an eyebrow at the healer in silent question.

"I think that Harry Potter is suffering from some kind of poisoning. His fever is life-threatening," Poppy explained, still trying to catch her breath.

Severus was just about to point out about the possibility of taking the Floo instead of running all the way to the dungeons, when realisation set in. "I can tell you now what it is," he growled, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "The boy went into the Chamber of Secrets and harvested the basilisk. A dunderhead as he is, he surely deemed himself lucky enough to not wear protective gloves, so that his blood somehow came into contact with basilisk poison. A small scratch in his skin would be enough for the poison to get into his bloodstream," he informed the healer, before he strode into his lab to tend to the task ahead.

12月25日・クリスマス

Unfortunately, he was only about half through the process of brewing the antidote, when the Dark Lord called him. _'Oh no, what does he want now?'_ he inwardly groaned, quickly placing his potion under a stasis charm.

He swiftly got properly dressed and informed the headmaster, who fortunately was in his office, before he hurried over the snowy grounds to the apparition border. An instant later, he arrived in the Dark Lord's bedroom at Riddle Manor.

"Ahh Severus, how good that you're here," the Dark Lord addressed him, sounding very hoarse.

"What happened, my Lord?" Severus asked, efficiently hiding his surprise and amusement behind a blank mask.

"Someone infested me with some stupid illness," the Dark Lord admitted. "I'm sure it was Muggles, and I can't wait to go and burn down the orphanage..." The rest of his words were drowned in a coughing fit. "Heal me," the Dark Lord demanded after his coughs subsided.

Severus slightly inclined his head. "May I cast a diagnostic spell?" he asked, politely.

"Do whatever you need to do, but do it quick" was the impatient response.

Severus cast a diagnostic spell, before he pointed his wand at the Dark Lord's head to check his temperature.

"I'm afraid that you caught the Muggle flu," he informed the evil wizard. "I need to go back to Hogwarts and fetch a potion for you. Maybe I have to brew it first," he added, thoughtfully. "I should be back between about thirty minutes and an hour."

"Hurry," the Dark Lord instructed him, coughing.

12月25日・クリスマス

Severus was inwardly chuckling, when he hurried from the apparition point to the castle. _'No one but me probably knows that basilisk poison is deadly for someone suffering from the flu, be it the wizard's flu or the Muggle flu,'_ he thought in amusement. _'And how convenient that the antidote to basilisk poison, which will work as basilisk poison itself for someone without a certain amount of poison in his blood, is almost ready waiting for me in my lab.'_

_'The Dark Lord will make you test the potion,'_ a small voice spoke up from the back of his mind.

_'Yes, but if I take the antidote as soon as I'm back, I'll be all right,'_ he convinced himself.

Returning to his lab, he swiftly finished the potion and bottled it, pocketing two small phials. Knowing that he still had some minutes, before the Dark Lord would become impatient, he hurried to Gryffindor and handed the healer one phial for the Potter boy, before he excused himself and made his way to Riddle Manor for the second time on this Christmas day.

12月25日・クリスマス

Seeing from the corner of his eyes that the two Death Eaters, who were keeping the Dark Lord company, seemed very unnerved, Severus held out the phial to the Dark Lord.

"You take a sip first," the Dark Lord ordered him, causing Severus to obediently take a small sip from the poison.

Seeing that nothing happened to his Potions Master, the Dark Lord took the phial and greedily gulped down the colourless liquid.

"I can't feel any change," he growled, coughing.

Severus nodded. "Since it's a Muggle illness, it'll take about thirty minutes until the potion takes effect," he lied, knowing that he sounded very believable, not only to the Dark Lord but also to the Death Eaters.

"Very well then, go away all and let me sleep," the Dark Lord replied, obviously getting tired from the potion in combination with his illness.

"We'll come back and check on you tomorrow then," Bella said, lightly, and the two Death Eaters and the spy swiftly left the house, seemingly glad to get away from the sick, evil wizard.

12月25日・クリスマス

Back at Hogwarts, Severus immediately went to see the headmaster and told him the good news that the Dark Lord would probably soon succumb to his poisoning. While they were still speaking, he noticed that the Dark Mark faded from his arm - completely this time.

"Congratulations Severus! You did it!" Dumbledore said, enthusiastically. "I don't understand though. According to the prophecy... " He interrupted himself, recalling, "Oh right, yesterday, Sybil came and made a new prophecy according to which you would be the one to defeat Voldemort. Anyway, congratulations my boy."

Severus merely inclined his head and returned to his quarters, knowing that he had to take the antidote to the poisoning as soon as possible.

_'I should go and check if Potter's all right,'_ he thought, relieved that he had managed to take the antidote before even feeling any poisoning effects. _'I also need to go to Hagrid and fetch the griffin.'_

Nevertheless, he felt exhausted from the busy morning and decided to take a short nap, knowing that he had enough time to run the remaining errands before Christmas dinner was going to commence.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	23. Chapter 23

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>23 December - Harry Potter<strong>

By the time Harry emerged from the shower, he felt exhausted and decided to take a nap in front of the fireplace in the common room, knowing that Hermione would wake him up on time for Christmas dinner.

However, before he could even drift off to sleep, the Potions Master's strict voice brought him back to reality.

"Mr. Potter, who allowed you out of bed?" Snape queried, as he entered the common room, carrying something like a stuffed animal on his arm.

"No one, sir, but I'm fine," Harry replied, slightly shivering at the professor's icy voice.

"That's for Madam Pomfrey or me to decide," Snape replied, coldly. "Especially since you seem to be too reckless to take care of yourself. How could you be so stupid as to harvest a basilisk without wearing protection gloves?"

"I'm sorry. I forgot," Harry replied, simply, wondering if the professor had only come to scold him.

"On a different note," Snape continued in a friendlier voice, "I'd like to thank you for all these potions ingredients. I hope that you're aware of the fact that they're worth several millions of Galleons."

"Yes sir, and you're welcome," Harry replied in a soft voice.

"This is my Christmas present for you as a small thank you," the Potions Master added, placing the fluffy bundle that he had been carrying on the sofa next to Harry.

Before Harry could even get a good look at the brown bundle, it turned out to be some kind of animal that immediately stretched itself and began to lick Harry's face all over.

"Hi," Harry said in surprise, trying in vain to get a glimpse at the animal.

The Potions Master merely stood there, grinning in obvious amusement. "In case you haven't noticed, it's a griffin cub," he finally spoke up and told Harry about the griffin family that Hagrid had shown him.

'Hi there,' a soft voice suddenly penetrated Harry's mind. 'I'm the griffin sitting next to you, and I've just bonded to you. I'm your familiar now.'

"Professor," Harry spoke up, hesitantly, as he finally managed to push the griffin off his face. "Is it all right to have two familiars? The griffin just told me that it bonded to me."

Snape shrugged. "I don't think that the headmaster will mind," he replied, smirking. "On the contrary, he'll rather be jealous, considering that one of them is a griffin."

"Thank you so very much," Harry replied, happily. "This is just absolutely amazing. And the best Christmas present I ever received."

"Dito Mr. Potter," Snape replied in apparent amusement. "However, there will be some more tonight I suppose. Today is a very happy day for Hogwarts." With that the professor took his leave, leaving Harry to ponder how to name his new familiar.

"Do you have a name?" he asked the griffin that denied and suggested that he should think of a name for him.

"Name him Santa," Fred and George suggested, who had entered the common room right after Snape and had witnessed the scene.

'I like that name,' the griffin thought to Harry, who rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Thank you so much, Fred and George. Now my griffin wants to be called Santa," he informed the twins.

"You're welcome," they replied, simultaneously.

12月25日・クリスマス

Harry observed in amusement how the griffin cub dashed through the common room, sniffling here and sniffling there in apparent excitement. _'How cute,'_ he thought, happily.

Suddenly, however, Hermione came down the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories, just when the griffin came to sit on the bottom step. Unfortunately, Hermione did not see the fluffy, brown animal and happened to step on it, so that the griffin fled from its spot instantly, causing Hermione to stumble down onto the floor.

"Mione, are you all right?" Harry asked in concern, when Hermione began to mumble something about the Weasley twins playing pranks. "Sorry Mione, that wasn't the twins but my griffin cub familiar," he explained, carefully helping his girlfriend up from the floor.

"You have a griffin cub?" Hermione blurted out in apparent amazement.

"Professor Snape gave him to me," Harry explained and called out, "Santa, come here so I can introduce you to my girlfriend."

"Wait..."

"... your what?" the twins blurted out in obvious surprise.

"Don't you think..."

"... you ought to tell us something?"

Hermione stared at Harry in disbelief. "You called your griffin familiar Santa?" she queried, shaking her head in apparent annoyance.

"It was Fred's and George's idea," Harry defended himself in a small voice, causing the girl to let out a snort.

"You should know better by now to do the opposite of what they tell you," she replied, gently petting the griffin cub's head. "That's an amazing familiar though. You're really lucky."

"I know," Harry replied, smiling, although he wondered if he was really lucky, when Madam Pomfrey stepped through the portrait hole, shooting him a murderous glare.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! See you tomorrow with Albus Dumbledore :D_


	24. Chapter 24

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>24 December - Albus Dumbledore<strong>

Albus let himself sink onto the sofa, his phoenix Fawkes perched on his left knee. "What an eventful Christmas day, Fawkes," he spoke up, gently petting his familiar's head.

#Yes, all the nestlings have done very well,# Fawkes agreed, letting out a series of happy trills.

"Do you know who alerted the Aurors of the fact that Dolores used a blood quill?" Albus enquired, causing Fawkes to raise his head, haughtily.

#I'm the only one who knows everything in this castle,# he informed the headmaster. #Yes, I am aware of the matter, and it was well done. Forget it Albus, you won't be able to guess this one, and you don't need to know anyway. He shall be awarded praise from another side.#

Albus stared at his familiar, who was as stubborn as himself. "Maybe it's time for me to retire from the position as headmaster, what do you think, Fawkes?"

#Yes, I believe that it's quite a number of egg turns now since you've been made headmaster,# Fawkes agreed, #and I think that the one who gave out the pink wannabe would make a good successor.#

Albus stared at the phoenix in disbelief. "And who might that be?" he queried, getting slightly impatient. "You just told me that I didn't have to know."

#Let me make the rules for the nestlings,# Fawkes suggested. #You speak with Poppy. She's the only one with the wisdom. Let her ask him if he'd be willing to accept the post of the old grumpy one. Only when he agrees to build his nest here, you will need to know.#

"Poppy," Albus shouted into the fireplace. "I need you immediately." He stepped aside, and an instant later, the healer climbed out of the fireplace.

"Albus, what's wrong?" she asked, eyeing him in concern.

Albus told her everything about Fawkes' suggestion, causing Poppy to scrunch her head in thought. "Well, if it's like Fawkes says, then I know who it must have been. I'm not sure if he'll be willing to accept the position though. Shall I ask him?"

"Do you agree with Fawkes that he'd be an adequate successor for this position?" Albus queried, worriedly.

Poppy smirked. "The fact that he managed to get Umbridge into Azkaban probably proves it," she replied, grinning, before she excused herself and left through the door.

_'That's absolute true,'_ Albus thought, wondering who had more insight into matters at Hogwarts than himself. He let all the adult wizards pass in front of his mind, however, he did not come up with a satisfying answer. _'Strange,'_ he mused, impatiently waiting for Poppy to return.

12月25日・クリスマス

It was almost an hour later, mere thirty minutes before the beginning of Christmas dinner, that Poppy returned with an unknown man, a wizard of about forty years of age, in tow. Somehow, the man felt familiar, however, Albus could not recognize him. _'I think he was my student, but that was about twenty or thirty years ago,'_ he thought, giving the man a questioning look.

"Excuse me, but what was your name?" he queried, thoughtfully stroking his beard.

"I'm Argus Alberts," the younger wizard introduced himself. "I'm sorry that it took us so long, but I first had to find some adequate successors for my position."

"Argus Filch?" Albus queried in absolute confusion, causing the wizard in front of him to shape shift into the caretaker's form.

"I'm sorry for the little masquerade," Argus apologized. "I'm working for the Department of Magical Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. Fortunately, the Weasley twins agreed to become my successors as spies as well as as caretakers after the completion of their NEWTs next summer. We just headed to the ministry together to make these changes official. Therefore, I'd like to ask you to remain in the position of the headmaster until the end of the school year."

"Very well," Albus replied, nodding in understanding, as he dismissed his colleagues_. 'A spy at Hogwarts without me knowing about it?' _he thought with a combination of disbelief and annoyance. _'I'm glad that I'll be able to retire in a few months' time.'_

"Please keep the matter about my position respectively that of the twins a secret," Argus instructed him in a firm voice, causing Albus to nod.

"I promise," he replied. "Thank you for accepting the position as my successor. I'm sure that Hogwarts will be in good hands. Please keep the matter about our positions exchange a secret as well and ask the twins for the same courtesy."

12月25日・クリスマス

As soon as Poppy and Argus left, Albus stepped into the fireplace to speak with the Minister about the demise of Voldemort. Back in his office ten minutes later, he pondered the situation, somehow feeling very relieved at the prospect of being able to live in his own home and do as he pleased from the following summer onwards. _'I've been the headmaster of Hogwarts for a long enough time, and I'm going to be 155 soon,'_ he thought, resolving to keep his other functions for the time being.

"Twinkle," he called his personal house-elf who appeared in a blink. "From next summer onwards, we're going to reside at Dumbledore Manor," he informed the elf, before he hurriedly left his office to be on time for Christmas dinner.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! I'll see you tomorrow, but I'd like to wish you a very Happy Christmas already..._


	25. Chapter 25

**Christmas Presents**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>25 December<strong>

For the first time on this Christmas day, all the inhabitants of Hogwarts, who were spending the holidays at the school, gathered in the Great Hall - just on time for Christmas dinner to commence.

Harry, whom Madam Pomfrey had grudgingly allowed to participate in the event, noticed in annoyance that Dumbledore was wearing red robes that made him look like Santa. _'Typically Dumbledore,'_ he thought, inwardly rolling his eyes.

He was not overly hungry, and when everyone tucked into the meal with apparent gusto, he contented himself drinking multiple glasses of pumpkin juice, while he let his thoughts wander back to the earlier events. _'I still can't believe that Hermione agreed to become my girlfriend,'_ he thought, feeling very happy. _'And I wonder what McGonagall and Dumbledore are going to say about my griffin. They won't even believe from whom I got him.'_

12月25日・クリスマス

He was suddenly brought back to reality, when the Minister of Magic entered the Great Hall and stepped over to where Dumbledore was sitting.

"Dear teachers, dear students," the Minister began to speak. "First of all, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. Secondly, I have a few announcements to make."

Everyone stared at the minister with a combination of surprise and annoyance.

"Does he really have to disturb us at Christmas dinner?" Hermione whispered into Harry's ear, only to add, "The more often I see Fudge, the more I dislike him."

Harry could only agree full heartedly.

"Tonight," the Minister continued, "I've come to Hogwarts, because I'd like to award the Order of Merlin first class to Severus Snape." Over the sudden applause, he added, "For vanquishing You-Know-Who."

"Whom?" Fred blurted out, chuckling.

"Voldemort?" George added, grinning.

"Yes, Professor Snape killed Voldemort with a potion," Dumbledore replied in a soft voice, his baby blue eyes twinkling merrily.

"Congratulations, Professor Snape," Harry was the first to speak up, followed by everyone else.

The Minister laid something on the table next to Snape's seat, before he consulted a small parchment and continued to speak. "Secondly, Hagrid has been found free of all charges. He'll receive 30,000 Galleons as compensation and is allowed to have a new wand. Hagrid, the magical world owes you an apology."

The applause was even more deafening than after Fudge's first announcement.

With that, Dumbledore invited the Minister to take a seat, and to Harry's great annoyance, Fudge complied and sat between Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"This gives me the opportunity," Dumbledore spoke up, "to award the Order of Hogwarts as well as 100 points to Gryffindor for Neville Longbottom, who rescued his grandfather Robbie Longbottom and helped our school to get a new, permanent Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."

As soon as the applause subsided, he continued, "I equally wish to award the Order of Hogwarts and 100 points to Gryffindor for Harry Potter, who gifted Potions ingredients to Hogwarts, which are worth several millions of Galleons. Thank you Mr. Potter."

With that, he sat back on his seat, and coffee and the deserts appeared on the table.

The deserts looked as delicious as any of the elves' creations, and everyone happily devoured their deserts, thinking that the outcome of this Christmas day was a very happy one.

As soon as everyone had eaten a small amount of any of the deserts, however, everyone including the minister automatically transformed into baboons.

Fred and George Weasley, who so far had refrained from eating any of the sweets, spoke up simultaneously. "Congratulations, Professor Snape, Hagrid, Neville and Harry! We wish everyone a very Happy Christmas!" With that, they took their spoons and began to eat, before they automatically transformed into baboons like everyone else.

12月25日・クリスマス

Meanwhile... Santa was on his way 200 miles from the North pole heading towards deliveries in Europe with his new assistant for the next 10000 Christmas Eves, the special elf, Tom Riddle. He had been asked by the big, evil guy downstairs to assist in giving out a suitable punishment. Special elf Tom Riddle had to smile and be nice to all the Muggle children he was giving the presents to - and it was pure torture to him... ho ho ho... all was well... Merry Christmas.

**"Happy Christmas!"**


End file.
